Beck Way - 13th Baseball America, 21st MLB Pipeline, 26th Fangraphs

Way was picked in the fourth round in 2020 by the Yankees and has had a solid year this year in high-A. He has 27.6 percent strikeout rate and 9 percent walk rate in 72.1 innings covering 15 starts. He uses two fastballs, a four-seamer and a two-seamer and also has a cutter that he developed after being drafted. Both his main fastballs sit in the mid-90s and the four-seamer has touched 100 before, so there’s some juice in that tank.

What excited me about him is that he throws the sweeper that’s, ahem, sweeping the game. It’s a slider that you’re starting to see used in the best pitching organizations in baseball, including the Yankees. It gets nearly 14 inches of horizontal break, which is just insane. He also has a changeup that, in watching some video, has a chance to be a very good pitch, but isn’t there yet.

Many believe he ends up in the bullpen because he has control issues, but I think he’s been better than expected this season, so maybe some of that concern can be alleviated. I got a text from a scout that makes me feel a bit better - “He’s a big leaguer, and maybe a good one. Can he start though? I have some doubts, but I have less doubts today than in April.”

My gut is that if he does make it to the big leagues as a reliever, he can be a very good one, but the Royals are going to want him to get there as a starter. He’ll be assigned to High-A Quad Cities.


TJ Sikkema - 23rd BA, 19th MLB, 18th FG

There’s some local flavor here as Sikkema went to Mizzou. He was a first round pick by the Yankees in 2019. He missed 2020 because all minor leaguers missed 2020 and then he had some shoulder and lat issues that wiped out his 2021. Neither required surgery, but that’s something to keep an eye on. He’s pitched some in 2022 and has been outstanding with 54 strikeouts and just nine walks in 36.1 innings. He’s done that in 11 games, 10 of which are starts in high-A. He’s also only allowed 21 hits in those innings, which is pretty ridiculous.

His stuff isn’t going to wow you because he’s not approaching triple digit velocity, but he has a great feel for pitching. He does a lot with his arm angles to manipulate the movement on the ball, so while he’s only about 89-91 on his two-seamer and 93-95 with his four-seamer, they get the job done. He has a high-spin slider and a changeup that is good enough to help keep right-handed hitters honest. He’s kind of short and stocky and he has a bit a of a crossfire delivery, so I think he was going to get dinged for that plus the missed time before the year.

From a prospect perspective, he kind of reminds me of Jonathan Bowlan in that he’s maybe not as flashy as some of the others, but he might end up being the best of the bunch. That same scout on Sikkema: “Some concern about injuries, but could move fast. Not sure if he’s a starter, but he’s a weapon.”

Sikkema will go to High-A Quad Cities to start.


Chandler Champlain - 29th BA, Unranked MLB, Unranked FG

I’ll admit to being unfamiliar with Champlain. He was a ninth rounder last year out of USC and has been pretty okay in A-ball so far this year. He has 94 strikeouts in 73.1 innings and has walked 19, so that part is good, but he’s also a college guy in A-ball. His fastball sits mid-90s and he has a very good slider. Reports are that he’s worked in a cutter and a curve as well and I’ve seen reports that like him quite a bit, but there’s just not much information I have on him beyond that.

I thought this was interesting, from an article in May:

Scout’s take: “I really like Champlain. I think he’s a hidden gem that the Yankees uncorked. He was up to 98-99 in the outings that I saw him. He has pretty good command and control for a Low-A guy. He’s got a good body and good mechanics. His fastball plays down a little bit because he’s got an overhand slot, but the slider is legit. He’s shown a pretty good curveball, too. He doesn’t have a changeup, so he’s going to have trouble getting lefties out, but I think he can start in the big leagues.”

We’ll see Champlain start his Royals career in A-ball in Columbia.


Flexbility

While you don’t move Benintendi simply to be able to play someone else in his spot like was the case with the Carlos Santana move, the Royals need to have a corner outfield spot open for when Salvador Perez returns, which looks like it’ll be soon. It allows one of MJ Melendez or Nick Pratto to play the outfield to keep everyone in the lineup on a regular basis.

The Verdict

I was right. I was underwhelmed initially, but I think after getting past the idea that Benintendi was going to bring back more than this, I kind of like it. I don’t love it, but I kind of like it. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that it depends on who you ask to find out who people think is the best pitcher in the deal, but I think it means the Royals are trying to do something different. This doesn’t feel at all like a Dayton Moore move to me, which means I think JJ Picollo really is running the trades.

The reality is that a corner outfielder with minimal power and a little more than one-third of a season of control simply isn’t going to bring back a star. I think the Royals maybe could have had someone a little higher rated like Luis Gil if they had only wanted two pitchers, but to get three, they ended up in a bit of a middle ground. After taking some time to write this up, digest the trade a bit more and really think it through, I think they did just fine. They didn’t clean up and they didn’t bomb. They got some quality and quantity.

The big issue is an organizational issue, and I’m not going to be able to fully evaluate this until we know what they’re doing in the offseason with their entire pitching program. If there is an overhaul a la the hitting development, then I think I actually like this trade a bit more than I do right now. If they sit back and make no changes, then I think I like this trade a bit less than I do right now. Ultimately, this organization cannot be trusted to develop arms, no matter where their development began. I think pitchers coming from an organization that has excelled in development helps some but without changes, acquiring pitchers who aren’t already big leaguers or close will lend itself to some variance.


In this particular deal, if two of these pitchers are quality big league relievers, it’ll be a slam dunk win. If one is a quality starter, it’ll be a slam dunk win. It doesn’t take a ton to be a winner in a trade of a rental from a bad team, but I at least like the upside here and think they probably ended up getting back about what the market value has shown for a guy like Benintendi in recent years.

Let’s take a look at the return…

Beck Way was ranked at #13 in Baseball America’s midseason update. He’s at #26 at FanGraphs.

Way was drafted in the fourth round of the abbreviated 2020 draft out of Northwest Florida State Junior College. He bumped his stock with a dominant performance in the Cape League in 2019 and was pegged as a second-round talent.

The right-hander is a starter who has thrown exclusively at High-A Hudson Valley this year. He’s made 15 starts and thrown 72.1 innings with 80 strikeouts and 26 walks. That’s a 9.95 SO/9 and a 3.24 BB/9, a ratio you can certainly get behind. He features a four and two-seam fastball, along with a slider and change. It’s the slider that gets the attention. From BA:

The slider is a sweepy pitch, with a nearly elite 14 inches of horizontal break and a swing-and-miss rate of 50%.

With a low arm angle, there’s some question about his ability to consistently repeat his delivery, which has led to some command issues. He’s been described as a “slinger.” Way has greatly improved his walk rate this summer, though, so perhaps he can stick as a starter.

ESPN’s McDaniel says Beck has flashed mid-rotation potential. That would indeed be some nice upside. It’s the past command issues that have led observers to be split on his future role, with some projecting the righty for a bullpen role.

Beck will report to High-A Quad Cities.


It will be a homecoming of sorts for T.J. Sikkema, who spun for the University of Missouri. The southpaw was selected by the Yankees in the supplemental first round as the 38th pick overall in the 2019 draft.

There’s plenty of injury risk here as he missed all of the 2021 season with lat, shoulder and elbow injuries according to BA. He was sidelined this year until May 8. That’s…something. Remember, TINSTAAPP. (There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect.)

However, when he’s been on the bump, he’s been really effective. He started his career in High-A Staten Island and punched out 13 in 10.2 innings against a single walk. He finished that ’19 season with a 0.84 ERA. This year, he’s made 11 appearances (10 starts) and posted a 2.48 ERA in 36.1 innings. He’s whiffed an astonishing 54 batters and walked just nine.

As you can infer from the walk numbers, the command is strong with Sikkema. He features a three-pitch mix with a low 90s fastball with a sweeping slider and a change with some nice fade. From FanGraphs:

Everything he does plays up due to his ability to use all four quadrants of the zone while keeping hitters off-balance with unpredictable sequencing and location strategies.

FanGraphs has his ceiling as a back of the rotation starter, while most observers feel he profiles as a reliever. He will need to go on the 40-man this winter or be exposed to the Rule 5 draft. It’s possible given his status that he will be on a bit more of a fast track than the other two.

He will being his Royals career in High-A Quad Cities.


There’s a bit of intrigue around Chandler Champlain. He was considered one of the prep arms in the 2018 draft, but a commitment to University of Southern California kept clubs away. At USC, he lost plenty of that draft shine and was selected in the ninth round of the 2021 draft.

He made his pro debut this year at Low-A Tampa. So far he’s made 15 starts and thrown 73.1 innings. He’s struck out 94 and walked just 19. Again, that will get your attention. From Baseball America:

The righthander’s two best offerings are a mid-90s fastball and a nasty slider, but he’s also begun incorporating a cutter and a curveball.

Reports from this year have his four-seamer maxing out at 99 MPH while he’s been pushing the curve in the high-70s. His command was a bit fringy coming out of USC, but it’s clearly improved. He worked on improving his fastball shape along with his secondary offerings after the draft in ‘21, which is why he made his pro debut this year.

Chaplain will start at A-ball Columbia.


The next step in this process is the Royals absolutely have to overhaul their minor league pitching program. Their track record at developing pitching has been abysmal through the years, so if you’re going to cash in one of your most coveted trade pieces for three arms, you damn well better revamp the system where they’ll be learning their craft. Hell, a change was imperative no matter what the Royals returned for two-plus months of Benintendi. But as the Royals continue to replenish the lower levels of the minor leagues with some live arms, doing nothing—or doing the same thing and expecting different results—just isn’t an option.

So like all trades for prospects, it’s impossible to immediately render a verdict. The initial return looks good. It’s the good ol’ quantity over quality, but when it comes to minor league pitchers yet to offer a delivery above High-A, that’s probably a decent strategy. In a way, it harkens back to that ‘18 draft where the Royals went super-heavy on college pitching. That four of the first five draft picks have thrown a major league pitch is a victory—although at times given the struggles of all four, that victory feels hollow. Still, that kind of graduation rate is fairly unique. The Royals will roll the dice on this trade and hope they are eventually adding three more arms to the major league stable.

Again—and I cannot stress this enough—the Royals have to address their organizational pitching development issues. Start at the major league level and work the way down. It’s imperative if that competitive window will ever open, that they find some success with the pitchers.

Perhaps you wanted a better return. It is possible that, by waiting a few days, the Royals could have improved their haul. I’m skeptical that it would have been that much better. Given that teams routinely value their prospect capital, deadline deals for players on expiring contracts don’t net as much as they used to. That’s why when you have a player like Whit Merrifield a couple of years ago, that’s the time to make a deal. Of course, the Royals didn’t have that option with Benintendi, who arrived via a trade with just two years remaining before he hit the free agent market.

This should be just the start with the newly transactional Royals. Action should be forthcoming with Merrifield and Michael A. Taylor. They should be fielding calls on Hunter Dozier, although that feels like a pipe dream. Relievers Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont should also be made available. Think about it…while Taylor or Merrifield won’t net a strong return by themselves, packaging a reliever in the deal could bring back a player (or two) of promising value.

These next several days ahead of the deadline should be busy for the Royals.

The Yankees Acquire Benintendi from The Royals

The Yankees have acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Royals in exchange for pitching prospects T.J. Sikkema, Chandler Champlain and Beck Way. Benintendi is slashing .321/.389/.399 (126 wRC+) on the year, walking at a rate of 10% while only striking out in 13% of his trips to the plate.

T. J. Sikkema has battled some injuries in his professional career, but when he’s healthy he has the ability to miss a ton of bats. Sikkema was the 38th overall pick in the 2019 draft — which at the time was a bit higher than many expected he would be selected. Sikkema doesn’t have an overpowering fastball, but he does have a plus-plus slider and above-average command.

Beck Way is a right-handed starter with a decent fastball but mostly average stuff. He’s shown an ability to miss bats, but has also struggled with command. He’s cleaned it up some this season dropping his walk rate from 12% to 9%. It’s a decent return for Benintendi, but there’s also a chance (of course) that none of these pitchers end up being big league contributors.