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New York Times
21-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Relievers Daniel Palencia, Brad Keller open Cubs' eyes in Cactus League opener
MESA, Ariz. — Early in camp, the Chicago Cubs' bullpen looks as deep and talented as it has been in years. There are several veterans without options locked in, but there will be some battles for the final few spots. In Thursday's Cactus League opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, two pitchers, Brad Keller and Daniel Palencia, opened some eyes with their performances, though neither is likely to make the team out of the spring. Palencia has options and is likely to be yo-yoed between Triple-A Iowa and Chicago throughout the season. Keller is being stretched out as a starter, and it doesn't appear a rotation spot is within reach for him. Advertisement Still, the two looked strong Thursday, combining for 2 2/3 scoreless innings with no runs allowed while striking out three total batters. Eight of Palencia's 16 pitches came in at triple digits, and he topped out at 101.3 mph. Palencia wasn't surprised he was touching that velocity consistently this early in the spring as he pitched 12 innings in the Venezuelan Winter League. Daniel Palencia, 101.3 mph ⛽️ — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 20, 2025 His manager, Craig Counsell, wasn't surprised either. 'That's what he throws,' Counsell said. 'That's an average velocity day for him.' Velocity has never really been a concern for Palencia. The 25-year-old, acquired from the Athletics in the summer of 2021 for reliever Andrew Chafin, has always had the stuff to impress. It's the results that have been inconsistent. Last season, Palencia battled injuries and wasn't effective when he was on the field. The righty posted a 6.14 ERA in 14 2/3 big-league innings, striking out just 23.2 percent of batters while walking 17.4 percent. A diet change and more consistent workout regimen helped Palencia this winter. But he said the biggest change was his mindset. Last summer, coming to the ballpark was a drain for him as he put too much pressure on himself and struggled to have fun playing the game he loves. This year he believes a changed perspective will help lead to better results. 'Daniel was a guy last year, and very well could be this year, on the option crew,' Counsell said. 'How you handle that is important. We can talk about it and be very direct about it, but you have to learn how to go through it. You gotta figure out how to not add that stress to something you can't control. In Daniel's case, it took him a while to learn how to do it. That's ok. Now, hopefully, he's in a better place to learn how to deal with that.' Advertisement Palencia is a part of a group of young relievers — along with Jack Neely and Luke Little — with impressive stuff who could really take the bullpen to another level if things click. Porter Hodge is the example they can look to as to the type of trust that's quickly earned when a young pitcher does his job and gets outs on a regular basis. With Keller, it's a very different situation. The veteran has an opt-out at the end of camp but is seen as having a lot of potential by Cubs staff members. After averaging 93.8 mph with his four-seam fastball last summer, Keller averaged 96.3 mph in his first spring outing, topping out at 97.9 mph. Counsell said what Keller did was 'a little more than we expected,' and even Keller was a little taken aback by his performance. Brad Keller with his second strikeout. 97mph again — Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) February 20, 2025 'I've thrown that hard in the past before,' Keller said. 'I've touched 98, even 99 before. To be 100 percent honest, I was kind of surprised coming out of the game when they told me what my velo was.' Towards the end of last season in Boston and this offseason at Maven Baseball Lab in Atlanta, Keller corrected some mechanical flaws that have helped him unleash another level with his velocity. 'One (drill) that has really helped out is the Kikuchi drill, where you go up on your back leg and sit down on the back leg before you go forward,' Keller said. 'A cue I tell myself is drop my belt buckle before I go down. It's a way to engage my back leg. Because as I go down the mound, I don't get on my back leg, I drift and spin out of things.' So is Keller going to be built up as a starter or does a short-burst performance like Thursday's 1 2/3 innings change the way they think about him? 'When you see that — that's the right question,' Counsell said. 'I had that thought, for sure. But I think taking the longer view — this is a pitcher who had big success in the league at a younger age. I always take note of that. It's in there. That's the guy we want.' Advertisement From 2018-2020, Keller tossed 360 1/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball, with 57 of his 78 outings coming as a starter. Rotation depth is always important and Keller could add to it. But if this type of velocity along with the development of a sweeper he's fine-tuning this spring continues, perhaps at some point in the season he becomes a relief option. These are decisions that don't need to be made now. Neither Keller nor Palencia are likely to be a part of the roster that leaves for Japan in three weeks. But that doesn't mean they won't positively impact the 2025 Cubs. A bullpen that performs well for a full season almost always has a few surprises. Whether it's Keller, Palencia or another name not on the radar, the Cubs will need pitchers who nobody expects to be key pieces to step up this summer. (Photo of Daniel Palencia: Michael Owens / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mets expecting Luisangel Acuña to have 'huge role' in 2025
While the Mets' projected lineup for Opening Day doesn't currently feature highly-touted prospect Luisangel Acuña, it appears that the team has no intentions of restricting his opportunities to play at the major league level this coming season. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shared expectations for Acuña during Amazin' Day on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, revealing that the 22-year-old is among the youngsters who'll compete for a roster spot in spring training. But that's not all -- Mendoza set the bar particularly high for Acuña. "He's going to have a big role, he's going to have a huge role," Mendoza said. "I said [Jeff] McNeil is going to be a big part of our team -- Luisangel is right there too. We keep saying that the young players are going to get opportunities. Luisangel will get his. He's taking ground balls at third base, so he's a part of that mix. He showed us that he can play at this level, and he'll continue to get opportunities." Acuña, who made his MLB debut last September and provided the Mets a much-needed spark in just 14 games, showcased his talents even further this offseason. The speedy utilityman thrived in the Venezuelan Winter League, slashing .337/.419/.495 with three home runs, five doubles, 18 stolen bases, and 17 RBI across 31 games. Carlos Mendoza says Luisangel Acuña will have a "huge role" on the 2025 Mets➡️ Tri-State @Cadillac — SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 25, 2025 His cup of coffee in Queens and positive impact also came at an opportune time, as the Mets forced Acuña into action while Francisco Lindor recovered from a back injury. In his brief big league stint, Acuña produced an impressive .966 OPS with six extra-base hits in 40 plate appearances, and offered steady defense up the middle. At the moment, Acuña's role in 2025 is undetermined. By taking reps at third base, he's joined Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio as in-house options for the hot corner, assuming the Mets don't retain slugger Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos becomes a candidate for first base. As far as second base, Acuña is competing with the veteran McNeil. A strong showing in camp will only boost Acuña's status, though Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns took the time to laud him during a panel conversation at Citi Field on Saturday. "For Acuna to come up and step right in -- let's put the offensive contributions to the side for a second -- to play that type of defense he did in such high-leverage situations, really impressive," Stearns said. "For a young player to come up in that situation, first time in the big leagues, to do what he did speaks really positively about what he can do in the future."
