The Texas Rangers drafted Jesse Chavez in 2002, but traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Kip Wells in 2006 before he made his big-league debut. Chavez was reportedly so upset by the move that when the Rangers signed the veteran before the 2018 season, Jon Daniels quipped that he and Chavez had to have a heart-to-heart before the deal was official.
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It’s unclear if they had another conversation before tonight, when Texas sent Chavez to the Chicago Cubs — the team that had originally drafted the right-hander in 2001 (Chavez did not sign).
Upon his arrival in Texas, Chavez not only had a strong enough spring to make the team, but he quickly became a clubhouse leader in his short time in Arlington. Not only that, he was more effective than many expected. The 34-year-old worked his way from a middle-of-the-bullpen long man in the early months to more of a hybrid role, eventually finding himself in late-innings high-leverage roles in recent weeks.
Texas showcased Chavez late in the first half; he pitched in four of the team’s final six games before the All-Star Game (all in the seventh inning or later) and finished two of the Rangers’ three games in Boston. All told, Chavez finished his time as a Ranger with a 3-1 record and a 3,51 ERA, outperforming his 4.32 FIP and 1.243 WHIP to the tune of a 132 ERA+.
In return, the Rangers get 22-year-old left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas (sometimes called by his full name of Ricky Tyler Thomas), the Cubs’ seventh-round draft pick from 2017. Thomas — who led the Mountain West Conference in strikeouts in 2016 with 108 strikeouts (and just 16 walks) — was named the USA national collegiate team’s player of the year before struggling in 2017. That, paired with some concerns about his lack of velocity, caused him to fall to the Cubs in the seventh round.
After being drafted, Thomas pitched for the Eugene Emeralds (the Cubs’ short-season team) and flashed a 2.33 ERA in 19⅓ innings (all in relief), striking out 24 but walking 13.
This season, Thomas has started 14 of the 15 games in which he has appeared. The walks are down — just 14 in 75 innings — and he has struck out 81 hitters for the South Bend Cubs in A-Ball. Texas has assigned Thomas to Hickory where he’ll join Matt Hagen’s rotation as a member of the Crawdads.
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Thomas isn’t a burner – he’s listed at 6’1″, 175, and his fastball only sits 88-90, but according to sources, he’s a legitimate pitcher, not just a thrower. Add to that the fact that the “pitchability” of his secondary stuff — a curveball and a changeup, both in the mid-to-high 70s — is allegedly above-average, and there’s reason to hope he could become a prospect, not just a minor-leaguer (Thomas was, at time of trade, not listed on MLB.com’s top 30 Cubs prospects).
Thomas could also be a candidate for the Rangers’ new relationship with Driveline Baseball — something I wrote about here — to see if they can increase his velocity by a few ticks. If that happens, and the Rangers are able to turn a spring-training signing of an overlooked veteran into a legitimate pitching prospect, they will have pulled off quite a trick.
It also might make Jon Daniels’ next conversation with Jesse Chavez a little easier.
