September Callups Will Benefit These Teams Most
MLB playoff contenders get a boost when September callups come to town, expanding rosters from 25 to 40 for the final month of the season. The benefits: increased depth, finding a hot player that sparks the team and better management of starting pitchers with innings limits. That being said, not every 40-man roster is created equal. Certain teams will benefit more due to injuries, farm system depth or team strategy. Here are four contending teams, two from each league, I think will benefit most from September callups:
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
One game from the World Series last year, the Brewers have been down this year, currently at 67-64 and 2.5 games back of the second wild card spot. Much of the offensive and bullpen depth from last year has struggled, but I do think September can help revitalize some of those guys. Offensively, Travis Shaw and Ben Gamel could provide the depth Milwaukee had last year, and with those veterans being in the minors for that long, their return could provide a spark. Shaw was hitting .162 with 6 home runs and 13 RBI, while Gamel was at .243 with 7 home runs and 29 RBI, but both were key pieces to their comeback last year, and Shaw was vital in the playoffs, too. With Keston Hiura up now, expect Shaw to play more first base, and expect Gamel to spell Ryan Braun in the outfield occasionally. As for pitchering, guys like Corbin Burnes, Taylor Williams and Brandon Woodruff were key pieces, both as starters and relievers, for the postseason. With Corey Knebel having Tommy John Surgery and both Jimmy Nelson and Brent Suter done, too, they’ll need all the depth they can get. Woodruff was decent when healthy, with a 3.75 ERA. Burnes and Williams, however, both had ERAs over 9.00. The other guy who can make a difference is Jacob Faria, who Milwaukee acquired from the Rays at the trade deadline. Faria will provide versatility as both a starter and reliever, and he pitched well when healthy with the Rays. With the way Craig Counsell uses pitching depth, and the Brewers needing depth to go beyond Josh Hader and Zach Davies, look for these guys to provide a spark for the Brewers to finally play like they should.
National League: Atlanta Braves
The Braves, in my opinion, benefit the most of all teams from September callups because their depth on both offense and pitching is incredible, thanks to the deep farm system and veteran acquisitions. They have tons of young pitching with guys like Touki Touissant, Kyle Wright, A.J. Minter and Chad Sobotka to add to an already deep rotation. All four have struggled this year, each with an ERA over 4.00. However, all were vital pieces to the bullpen last year, especially Sobotka, who had an ERA of 1.88 and a WHIP of 0.98. Also, Touissant and Wright provide length in the September to give main bullpen guys rest, too. This depth allows them to be more cautious with potential Cy Young winner Mike Soroka and young lefty Max Fried. Offensively, the Braves are deep. Then add Brian McCann, Johan Camargo, Austin Riley, Nick Markakis and Adam Duvall back into the mix? Riley was great in the first half of the season, Markakis has been steady with the Braves, McCann is a good veteran catcher to help the young pitchers out, Duvall provides power off the bench and Camargo provides versatility and speed. Getting these guys back provides depth and versatility that’s in tune with the Astros, Dodgers and Yankees as the best in baseball. While all these guys won’t make the playoff roster, now will be their chance to shine in their respective roles.
American League: New York Yankees
This one seems obvious. Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Dellin Betances, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorious have all been hurt this year, and yet the Yankees keep winning. With 40 players, they can flourish for many reasons. They can simply leave over-performers—such as Giovany Urshela (.332, 18 home runs and 67 RBI), Mike Tauchman (.294, 12 homers, 45 RBI) and American League MVP candidate D.J. LeMahieu (.331, 22 homers, 87 RBI)—in prominent roles on this team. Not to mention, they still have a good farm system where they can recall Clint Frazier and bring up pitching prospects Chance Adams, Jonathan Loasiga and hot trade-deadline commodity Deivi Garcia, who could be called up soon. Brian Cashman has built, found and developed a great roster with a mixture of youth, star power and great depth, which benefits a 40-man September. The question remains, however, if they can still do it in the playoffs.
American League: Cleveland Indians
Throughout pitching injuries and down years offensively, the Indians, again, have had a big second half to rally into contention. And for a team that needs depth, help will come. With September callups, they get two former Rays youngsters in infielder Christian Arroyo and first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers. Both showed flashes of power in a small sample size with the Rays. However, the biggest boost is more pitching. Despite Corey Kluber and Danny Salazar being out most of the year, and Carlos Carrasco fighting leukemia, the Indians have received strong pitching, both with starters and the bullpen. The roster expansion also allows them to bring up more bullpen depth with young pitchers such as Jean Carlos Mejia and Sam Hentges, both 23 years old, as well as over-performers such as Jon Edwards (2.25 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) and A.J. Cole (3.81 ERA, 30 strikeouts in 26 innings). This will allow the Tribe to save guys like Brad Hand and Adam Cimber, who have both had phenomenal years, as well as experiment to see how they could potentially perform in the playoffs. The Indians will rely heavily on pitching to deliver a playoff berth, and between core and breakout pitchers, they will continue benefit greatly from roster expansion.
