With spring training nearing an end and Major League Baseball’s Opening Day of March 28 fast approaching, a slew of moves have been made by each of the 30 teams as they get closer to finalizing their 26-man rosters. Unfortunately for Turlock native Tyler Soderstrom, he was one of the team’s most recent spring cuts as he was optioned by the Oakland Athletics on March 17, which means he will be starting the 2024 season in Triple-A with the Las Vegas Aviators.
It’s been a peculiar spring for the 22-year-old, who played in 45 games with the big league club last season. He entered camp drawing praise from manager Mark Kotsay. “He came to Spring Training in great shape, with a great attitude and a change in work ethic — all things we wanted to see from him,” the third-year skipper told MLB.com last week. But Soderstrom was quickly blindsided by a stomach illness just days into camp. Once he recovered, the Athletics put him in a part-time role, playing in just 15 Cactus League games, most off the bench.
Prior to him being optioned, the catcher and first baseman was 4 for 33 — possibly a result from not being able to nab consistent plate appearances, especially with established players like catcher Shea Langeliers and first baseman Ryan Noda getting most of the playing time.
“It’s not easy to hit when you’re playing once or twice a week. He needs to get consistent at-bats, which is what he’ll get in Las Vegas,” a source familiar with the situation told the Turlock Journal.
While some see the move as a demotion, many in the Oakland organization see it as an important developmental step for the Turlock High graduate and 2020 first-round draft pick, who they expect to eventually blossom into a star.
“(Soderstrom) is so young and so good,” said former Midland Rockhounds manager and current Athletics first base coach Bobby Crosby last month on the A’s Cast podcast. “I’ve been asked that a lot here: ‘What do you think of Tyler?’ He’s 21 (now 22). The guy has raked his entire life. He raked all the way up through the minor leagues, and the big leagues can sometimes be a little like a ‘woah’ factor. These (major league) pitchers are good and they’re going to find a way…”
After making his debut with Oakland Athletics on July 14, Soderstrom hit .160 with a .472 OPS, three home runs and 43 strikeouts in 138 plate appearances.
“The guy can flat out hit, and he’s going to hit for a long time,” Crosby continued. “He’s one of those guys I never worry about. People might have at certain times last year, but I don’t.”
Nick Avila reassigned to Sacramento
For the second year in a row, Nick Avila will not break major league camp with his team.
A non-roster invitee to San Francisco Giants big league camp, the 2015 Turlock High graduate was reassigned to Triple-A on Thursday.
The 26-year-old right-hander had a 4.35 ERA in 10 ⅓ innings over six games. He also gave up 10 hits (three home runs) and a walk while punching out 14.
Avila had an outside chance at making the Opening Day roster after strong showing in his last four appearances out of the bullpen. In those games, Avila had given up just two runs in 7 ⅓ innings. One of those runs came in his last outing against the Angels on Wednesday, when manager Bob Melvin stretched him out for a three inning save. He struck out three in the process, which also continued his streak of appearances with a strikeout to start the spring. Additionally, he had multiple strikeouts in all but one of his seven outings.
With the River Cats, Avila will be looking to build on a season where he earned the club’s 2023 Pitcher of the Year honor after achieving a 14-0 record in 56 games to lead the Pacific Coast League.
The reassignment is a tough break for Avila, who also couldn’t make the big league roster last spring while with the Chicago White Sox. Chicago selected the Turlocker in the Rule 5 Draft In Dec. of 2022. In the last week of camp, the White Sox did not extend a call-up to the major league roster, forcing them to return him to the San Francisco organization per Rule 5 Draft rules.
Considering his solid end to the spring, it’s hard to imagine that Avila won’t be on the radar of Melvin, President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and staff.
Cole Carrigg appears in Spring Breakout
No matter how Major League Baseball tries to spin it, the inaugural Spring Breakout prospect showcases did not go exactly how they anticipated.
From March 14-17, nationally televised games were held between each of the 30 MLB teams, with rosters assembled with each organization’s most highly touted prospects for the inaugural Spring Breakout showcase. For the Colorado Rockies, one of those prospects was 2020 Turlock High graduate Cole Carrigg, who was drafted 65th overall by the National League West team this past summer.
The showcase games were the talk of the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues… until gameday rolled around. One issue that arose was that many fans in attendance chose not to stay for the games because of the fact that most were the second games of scheduled doubleheaders. And the weekend proved that no matter how big of baseball fans were in attendance, seven hour days were a bit too much.
The hype surrounding the weekend in Arizona was also watered down by thunderstorms, which either delayed or postponed regular spring training games, as well as a handful of Spring Breakout games.
Some factors, like poor weather, were obviously out of the league's control, but perhaps the league should consider holding the games as standalone events as opposed to doubleheaders. A prime example of the situation came on March 16 when the Rockies took on the Arizona Diamondbacks. That day, the spring training game between the Rockies and A’s ran long, thus forcing the Spring Breakout game to be delayed by almost an hour. By that time, nearly half of those in attendance at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale had left. And it was hard to stay excited with a mostly empty stadium.
The game eventually ended with the D-Backs winning 3-1. Carrigg entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, where he struck out to end the inning. The 21-year-old proceeded to play the last two innings in center field. He was in the on-deck circle when top Colorado prospect Adael Amador grounded out to end the game.
Kade Morris pitches in Port St. Lucie
Across the country in Port St. Lucie in Florida, 2020 Pitman High graduate Kade Morris took the mound to pitch in a minor league spring training game for the New York Mets last Saturday against the Houston Astros.
A third round pick in last summer’s MLB Draft, the right-handed starter tossed two, one-hit innings while collecting three strikeouts.
The outing marked just the second time the 21-year-old appeared in a professional game, the other being a start on Sept. 14 with the St. Lucie Mets, the organization’s Low-A affiliate. It’s expected that Morris will remain in Port St. Lucie to start the regular season, a prime opportunity for him to gain more in-game experience.
Cumberland, Owen call it a career
After battling injuries in recent years, a pair of Turlock High alumni are calling it careers.
This offseason Brett Cumberland and Andy Owen filed their retirement paperwork, marking an end to their professional careers.
Cumberland, who graduated from Turlock High in 2014 and was drafted in the second round of the 2016 Draft by the Atlanta Braves following an illustrious two-year college career at Cal Berkeley, played eight seasons in professional baseball. Aside from the Braves organization, he spent time in the Baltimore and San Francisco pipelines.
In 2023, after almost a year of rehabbing a shoulder injury, Cumberland received a non-roster invite to the Giants’ major league spring training. He was placed on the 60-day injured list when he was reassigned to Sacramento prior to the regular season. He would go on to play just one game with San Francisco’s Arizona Complex League squad.
As for the 22-year-old Owen, his retirement came after a long rehab from Tommy John surgery.
Owen, a 2020 Turlock High graduate, underwent the elbow procedure following his freshman year at Baylor University in 2021. Despite not seeing game action in almost a year, he was selected in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers finally activated Owen last season on Aug. 8. In the Arizona Complex League, he had a 14.54 ERA in 4 ⅓ innings over five appearances.
