Back in August, my colleague Ben Clemens crafted an article titled Wait, Zack Littell is a Starter Now?! It was an apt headline. Not only had the 27-year-old right-hander been DFA’d by the Red Sox a few months earlier — Boston having been his third organization in as many years, and his sixth overall — he’d logged a 4.08 ERA over 145 big-league appearances, all but four out of the bullpen, with just three saves. As Clemens pointed out, Littell “wasn’t even a dominant reliever.”
Of course, this was the Tampa Bay Rays who’d moved him into their rotation. Much for that reason, Clemens qualified his skepticism by saying, “What else can we do but wait and see the results?”
The results have remained largely positive. Littell has a not-so-great 6.75 ERA in 14 appearances out of the bullpen this year, but in the same number of outings as a starter his ERA is 3.41. Moreover, he’s consistently gone five-plus innings. As Rays beat writer Marc Topkin told me for an article that ran here at FanGraphs on Friday. the under-the-radar righty “has basically saved the starting rotation.”
How did the opportunity come about?
“It was kind of a perfect storm,” said Littell. “We had guys going down with injuries and I was already starting to get stretched out, so they brought it to me. They asked how I felt about it, and obviously I was all-in.”
An expanded repertoire — “I have five pitches now, as opposed to the three I had before” — was also part of the equation. Augmenting the enhanced pitch mix was a move from the third-base side of the slab to the first-base side of the slab.
“He added the sweeper,” explained Tampa Bay pitching coach Kyle Snyder. “He added a two-seamer. The cutter… we moved him all the way over to the glove side of the rubber to allow his release point to be somewhat à la Oliver Drake. That allowed his stuff to remain in the zone longer.”
Littell began throwing a sweeper around the All-Star break — this a few months after the Rays claimed him off of waivers — in part because efforts to improve his old slider weren’t bearing fruit. Snyder suggested the new grip, told him to throw the pitch as hard as he could, and the rest is history. It’s become one of his best pitches.
For Littell, his unexpected breakthrough is evidence that what you see isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get. Players can and do evolve.
“You develop a reputation after you’ve played in the major leagues a little bit,” said Littell. “You’re this type of pitcher, whether it’s a sinker-ball guy, a carry guy, a command guy, a strikeout guy. Whatever. I’ve also kind of been in a boat where it’s ‘He’s a reliever.’ This is an example of how development never really stops, no matter how long you’ve been doing it. In five more years I’ll probably be a completely different pitcher than I am today, just like I’m a completely different pitcher now than I was five years ago. I’m adapting with the game, which is something that will always go on.”
Snyder agrees with those sentiments.
“I think there are probably more opportunities out there for guys such as himself, and for Jeffrey Springs, to transition long after they’ve been labeled a failed starter,” said the pitching coach. “You do have to be responsible doing it, especially in the middle of the season, and the depth of the relationship matters. You need transparency in terms of the way he feels. I asked him when the last time was that he traditionally started a game, and he said 2019. I then asked if he’d be open to doing it, and he said 100%.”
Littell’s previous experience as a starter includes a pair of successful seasons in the minors. In 2016, he went 13-6 with a 2.66 ERA between Low-A and High-A while in the Seattle Mariners organization. The following year he went 20-1 (including a postseason start) with a 2.12 ERA between High-A and Double-A while in the New York Yankees system. It made sense that he would jump at the opportunity Snyder presented him with. At the same time, his top priorities were to wear a big-league uniform and help the Tampa Bay Rays win baseball games.
“Most guys want to be starters, but it’s not something where I was thinking, ‘Man, I’d rather be starting,’” said Littell. “It’s always been about what keeps you in the major leagues, and I’d been doing it as a reliever. I’ve obviously bounced around, so I’ve been trying to hold a job, whatever it is. But starting is something I’ve missed doing. It’s pretty fun. I don’t want to say that I thought it was off the table forever, but if you’d have told me that at the beginning of the year that I would be starting for a contender, in September, I probably would have called you crazy. Yet here we are.”
———
RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Hubie Brooks went 11 for 19 against Rick Honeycutt.
Mandy Brooks went 3 for 6 against Dazzy Vance.
Bobby Brooks went 3 for 5 against Jim Rooker.
Kevin Pillar went 2 for 3 against Brooks Pounders.
Brooks Robinson went 36 for 91 against Camilo Pascual.
———
Andy Freed is a Maryland native who grew up rooting for the Baltimore Orioles. I recently asked the radio voice of the Tampa Bay Rays who his favorite player was back in those formative years.
“It’s not unique — I think everybody loved him because he so good — but it was Eddie Murray,” said Freed. ”The reason I loved Eddie Murray so much is that the first game I ever went to, on August 9, 1979, against Milwaukee, he homered. It was the first homer I saw in person, and something about it was just amazing. It could have been Kiko Garcia hitting it. It could have been Rick Dempsey. But it happened to be Eddie Murray, and because he hit that home run I kind of fell in love with Eddie. I’ve never met him to this day, although I’ve always wanted to. I like the chance someday to just to say hello.”
Freed did get to say hello to Brooks Robinson, who died earlier this week at age 88. The Hall of Fame third baseman had moved into the Orioles broadcast booth by the time the now-Tampa Bay broadcaster fell in love with baseball, and it was in that role he became an admired figure for Freed. He paid homage to the Baltimore icon on social media upon hearing of his death.
———
A quiz:
Robin Yount is the Milwaukee Brewers franchise leader in total bases, extra-base hits, doubles, and RBIs. Which former Brewer ranks behind Yount in each of these categories?
The answer can be found below.
———
NEWS NOTES
Tyler Clippard announced his retirement earlier this week. One of the most under-appreciated relievers of our generation, the 38-year-old right-hander logged 56 wins, 74 saves, and a 3.16 ERA — as well as a .241 BABIP — over 807 appearances. Only 50 pitchers in MLB history have taken the mound more times.
Danny Morris, who pitched in three games for the Minnesota Twins in each of the 1968 and 1969 seasons, died on September 23 at age 77. A native of Greenville, Kentucky, the right-hander went 0-2 with a 2.81 ERA over 16 innings.
Dick Beverage, a renowned Pacific Coast League historian — he is in the PCL Hall of Fame — and a former president of the Society for Baseball Research, died last weekend at age 87. Beverage received SABR’s highest honor, the Bob Davids Award, in 2013.
——-
The answer to the quiz is Ryan Braun. If you guessed Paul Molitor, he ranks third in all four categories.
———
Regular readers of this column know that I’ve recently been asking MLB managers which opponents most impressed them this season. Last weekend, I addressed that question to a player.
“That’s an easy one,” Chicago White Sox infielder Elvis Andrus replied to my question. “The Braves. It’s hard to have pretty much the whole team hitting like they are, and playing the way they are, at such a high level for the whole year. What they’ve done is a huge accomplishment.”
Most impressive American League club?
“One thing that kind of surprised me… maybe not surprised, but you can see a huge jump from last year to this year with the Texas Rangers,” Andrus said of his former team.” They invested and made some smart baseball moves. To me, those guys were most similar to Atlanta.”
———
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Katsuki Azuma is 16-2 with a 2.03 ERA for NPB’s Yokohama DeNa BayStars. The 27-year-old left-hander went eight scoreless innings in his last outing, a 1-0 DeNa win over the Yomiuri Giants.
Kohei Arihara is 10-4 with a 2.27 ERA for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The 31-year-old former Nippon-Ham Fighters right-hander returned to NPB this year after pitching for the Texas Rangers in 2021 and 2022.
Kensuke Kondoh is slashing .298/.425/.524 with a career-high 25 home runs for Fuluoka. The 30-year-old outfielder has a .414 OBP in a dozen NPB seasons.
Sócrates Brito is slashing .286/.349/.469 with 19 home runs in his second season with NPB’s Kia Tigers. The 31-year-old, erstwhile MLB outfielder had 17 home runs and a .311/.354/.494 slash line last year.
The LG Twins, who at 80-51 have the circuit’s best record, lead all KBO teams in runs scored, OBP, stolen bases, walks, and fewest strikeouts. They are sixth in the 10-team league in home runs.
———
Junior Caminero has a chance to be a star. Currently enjoying a September cameo with the Tampa Bay Rays, the 20-year-old infielder is coming off of a minor-league campaign where he slashed a precocious .324/.384/.591 with 31 home runs and a 156 wRC+ between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery. Described as “powerful and explosive’ by our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen back in January, Caminero has since climbed to No. 11 on The Board, where he boasts a 55 FV.
The players that Caminero most enjoyed watching while growing up in the Dominican Republic are infielders with productive bats. Asked about his favorites prior to a recent game in Boston, he cited Hanley Ramirez and Manny Machado. He also said that getting to play against Rafael Devers at Fenway Park was “very cool.”
To what does he attribute his ability to do damage at the plate?
“I thank God for the talent,” Caminero said in response to my inquiry. “Sometimes I even think about why I hit so good. But even with the gifted talent I have, I know that I still have to put in the hard work.”
Does he consider himself a power hitter?
“Yes,” said Caminero, who is 4-for-23 with a double in his cup of coffee. “I consider myself a home run hitter. A power hitter.”
———
FARM NOTES
Stiven Flores slashed .391/.456/.477 with one home run and a 152 wRC+ in 147 plate appearances for the Chicago White Sox’ entry in the Dominican Summer League. The 17-year-old catcher was signed out of Cumaná, Venezuela by the ChiSox in January.
Maick Collado had 12 sacrifice flies, the most in the minors. The 20-year-old corner infielder in the Cleveland Guardians system slashed .279/.367/.348 in 297 plate appearances with Low-A Lynchburg. He was a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts.
Edwin Arroyo came to the plate 554 times and didn’t ground into a double play. The 20-year-old switch-hitting shortstop in the Cincinnati Reds system slashed .252/.324/.443 between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga.
Chase Petty posted a 1.72 ERA and a 2.32 FIP over18 outings between Dayton and Chattanooga. The 20-year-old right-hander threw 68 innings and didn’t allow a home run.
Manuel Mercedes had a 62.9% ground-ball rate, and surrendered just two home runs in 106-and-a-third innings, with Low-A San Jose. The 21-year-old (as of September 21) right-hander in the San Francisco Giants system had a 3.64 ERA and a 4.26 FIP.
Robby Snelling went 11-3 with a 1.82 ERA and a 3.07 FIP across Low-A Lake Elsinore, High-A Fort Wayne, and Double-A San Antonio. The 19-year-old left-hander in the San Diego Padres system had 118 strikeouts in 103-and-two-thirds innings.
———
Writing for Baseball America, the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier said in July that then-17-year-old shortstop Yoeilin Cespedes “looks like one of the top hitting prospects to come through the [Red Sox] organization’s academy since Rafael Devers a decade ago.” Nothing has changed since that time. At season’s end, Cespedes had a 145 wRC+ to go with a .346/.392/.580 slash line and six home runs in 209 Dominican Summer League plate appearances. He was named Boston’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year.
Cespedes was one of seven minor-league award winners honored at Fenway Park this past week, and among the questions he fielded from the media was which player he most tries to emulate. His answer was Xander Bogaerts, who “makes the game look easy.” Cespedes is built differently than the Red Sox-turned-Padres shortstop — he packs 185 pounds on his 5-foot-9 frame — but they do share some of the same attributes. Attitude is among them. Asked how he’d describe his game, the youngster said, “Heart and soul is how I play.” As for how he’d describe himself as a hitter, he smiled and said, “Super good. Super bad.”
According to Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham, the recently-turned-18-year-old is “athletic, strong, and advanced for his age.” As his 6.7% walk rate and 11.5% strikeout rate attest, he is also aggressive at the plate.
“I think some of that is the Dominican environment, which allows for a larger strike zone and less of an opportunity to work counts and wait for pitches he should be aggressive on,.” reasoned Abraham. “That tends to happen, despite us pushing swing decisions and approach. But he has the knowledge to improve in that area, and he can definitely impact the baseball.”
As for whether Cespedes could potentially follow in the footsteps of fellow Dominican Junior Caminero and reach the big leagues before he can take a legal drink stateside… let’s just say he’s willing to dream.
“I only know him from afar,” Cespedes said of the up-and-coming slugger who was standing a few hundred feet away near Fenway Park’s visiting dugout. “But yes, of course. [Seeing him here] is something that makes me think, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’
———
LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
The Tampa Bay Rays are defying odds while emphasizing data and feedback like no other team. Bruce Schoenfeld has the story at Sports Business Journal.
Good Beer Hunting’s Bryan Roth wrote about the baseball-and-beer life of old friend Eno Sarris.
The Denver Post published a four-part special report on Colorado’s three decades of mediocre baseball, and Purple Row’s Joelle Milholm subsequently weighed in on the importance of local sports journalism.
MLB.com’s Sara Langs gave us 12 amazing Miggy stats and facts.
———
RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl heads into the final game of the regular season having not grounded into a double play in 551 plate appearances. In 1968, Detroit Tigers second baseman Dick McAuliffe had 658 plate appearances without grounding into a double play. A year earlier, he came to the plate 675 times and grounded into just two — the second of which not only ended the final game of the season, it quashed the Tigers postseason hopes.
Adam Wainwright’s 4.90 K/9 this year was the lowest among MLB pitchers who threw at least 60 innings. The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander fanned 55 batters in 101 innings.
Jim Palmer won 20 or more games in each of the 1975-1978 seasons. The Hall of Fame right-hander had a 4.9 K/9 over that four-year span.
Chris Martin finished the season with a 1.05 ERA, the lowest among MLB pitchers who threw at least 30 innings. The Boston Red Sox reliever went 4-1 with three saves while appearing in 55 games and tossing 51-and-a-third innings.
John Dagenhard holds the MLB record for most career innings pitched with a 0.00 ERA. The Magnolia, Ohio native worked 11 frames over two appearances for the Boston Braves in 1943. He got a win in his only decision.
Babe Ruth made the last of his 163 pitching appearances on today’s date in 1933 as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-5 on the final day of the regular season. The Bambino went the distance for the win and finished his career 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA.
On today’s date in 1952, Joe Black became the first Black pitcher to be credited with a World Series win as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-2 in Game One of that year’s Fall Classic. The right-hander had finished the regular season — his first in MLB after six with the Negro National League’s Baltimore Elite Giants — with a record of 15-4 and a 2.15 ERA.
On today’s date in 1976, Bill Campbell was credited with his 17th win of the season as the Minnesota Twins topped the Kansas City Royals 4-3. The right-handed reliever finished the year 17-5 with 20 saves and a 3.01 ERA over a league-high 78 appearances comprising 167-and-two-thirds innings.
Players born on today’s date include Buzz Capra, who was credited with 37 wins and five saves while pitching for the New York Mets from 1971-1973 and the Atlanta Braves from 1974-1977. The right-hander went 16-8 with an NL-best 2.28 ERA in 1974.
Also born on today’s date was Alan Brice, whose big-league career comprised three-and-a-third innings over three appearances with the Chicago White Sox in 1961. The right-hander went 0-1 with a 0.00 ERA, the loss coming courtesy of a Nellie Fox throwing error.
