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The Mariners introduced a swap of right-handers, as Justin Topa was acquired from the Brewers in trade for minor leaguer Joseph Hernandez.
Topa has pitched in every of the final three MLB seasons, albeit within the restricted trend of 18 1/3 innings over 17 whole video games. The righty has an 8.35 ERA for his transient profession, thanks to 2 significantly disastrous outings in 2021 that noticed Topa charged with 9 earned runs over 1 1/3 frames of labor.
A flexor tendon pressure sidelined Topa for a lot of the 2021 season, and flexor tendon surgical procedure resulted in one other journey to the 60-day injured checklist final season. For the reason that begin of the 2021 marketing campaign, Topa has thrown solely 45 1/3 whole innings within the majors and minors (10 2/3 IP in MLB, 34 2/3 within the minors). Harm absences have sadly been the story of a profession that started as a Seventeenth-round decide for the Pirates within the 2013 draft, as Topa has beforehand undergone two Tommy John surgical procedures.
Between all of the well being points and even transient drops out of affiliated baseball (Topa performed for indy ball groups for elements of the 2017 and 2018 seasons), Topa is a tough participant to guage as he enters his age-32 season. Nevertheless, he instantly drew consideration as a attainable late-blooming gem when he made his MLB debut in 2020, and posted a 2.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts and no walks over his first 7 2/3 innings. This efficiency earned Topa a spot on Milwaukee’s postseason roster, and he threw two scoreless innings in his lone look.
A tough-thrower who averaged 97.5mph on his fastball in that debut season, Topa’s velocity fell to a 95.7mph common during the last two seasons. Whereas we’re coping with small pattern sizes throughout in these three transient bits of Main League publicity for Topa, his damage scenario explains the velo drop, and the following step will likely be seeing if he can regain any velocity now that the flexor tendon subject appears to be behind him.
The Mariners have been intrigued sufficient by Topa to spend a 40-man roster spot on him, and Seattle additionally parted methods with a 22-year-old coming off a breakout season at single-A. Hernandez posted a 3.39 ERA over 116 2/3 innings in 2022, with a formidable 29.4% strikeout charge however an underwhelming 11.1% stroll charge. This does not less than signify some improved management from earlier in Hernandez’s profession, and the righty’s swing-and-miss numbers indicated how harmful he may very well be with improved command.
Hernandez began 22 of 24 video games in 2022, and the Brewers will definitely proceed to offer the right-hander probabilities as as a beginning pitcher. If the management issues persist, Hernandez’s final future (and path to the massive leagues) may come as a reliever, and he possesses a wonderful slider that may very well be much more devastating in a restricted position.
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