White Sox Claim Right Hander Off Waivers From Division Rival
On Monday, the White Sox announced that they had claimed right-handed pitcher A.J. Alexy off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. Alexy was the odd man out on the Twins roster after the team added Michael A Taylor from the Royals. As a result, Alexy was designated for assignment last week.
The White Sox add yet another stop in what has been a busy offseason for Alexy. The Rangers designated him for assignment in December, and he was claimed by the Washington Nationals. A few weeks later, the Nats also discarded him, trading him to the Twins for pitching prospect Cristian Jimenez. The Twin’s need for pitching depth was alleviated after they acquired Pablo Lopez, which made Alexy more expendable.
The 24-year-old will be entering his third season in the major leagues. In 30 innings of work, he has a 6.30 ERA with 23 strikeouts and a 1.633 WHIP. The Dodgers initially drafted Alexy in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. He remained in the Dodgers organization for a year until getting included in a trade package for Yu Darvish that sent him to the Texas Rangers.
He made his MLB debut on August 30th, 2021, getting the start against the Colorado Rockies. He earned his first career win after tossing five shutout innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts and three walks. In his next start against the Angels, he dazzled once again, holding his opponent to just a single hit for a second consecutive outing. However, this time he struck out seven and only walked two for his first career quality start.
The rest of his 2021 campaign produced less success. He appeared in three more games, coming out of the bullpen for one, and finished the season with a 4.70 ERA.
The following season he came exclusively out of the bullpen for the Rangers but struggled to find his footing. In four games, he got lit up to the tune of an 11.57 ERA and logged just one scoreless appearance. So what do the White Sox like about Alexy? For starters, he still has an option remaining and can be stashed in the minor leagues for another year. His 55 days of service time also means he can be retained for another year for cheap.
With the uncertainty surrounding Mike Clevinger, adding more pitching insurance is a wise decision. Davis Martin, Jimmy Lambert, and Jonathan Stiever will likely have the edge in a battle for the fifth starter spot should Clevinger receive a suspension. But Alexy can throw his hat in the ring during Spring Training, and if he is unable to impress, he can fill out a roster spot in Triple-A Charlotte.
While Alexy has struggled at the major league level, he has impressed in the minor leagues. In 2021 he produced a 1.66 ERA in 65 innings, striking out 29.8% of batters faced. He did walk 10.6% of opponents but still did enough to earn the MLB promotion from the Rangers.
Alexy has a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. His fastball tops out at just over 94 mph, and opponents teed off it, hitting .476 when he threw the pitch in 2022. His slider has been more effective. It features 61.3 inches of drop and a .143 opponent average, and a 25 percent whiff rate. Meanwhile, his changeup sits at 88mph while his slow looping curveball averages 78 mph.
It is unlikely he will break camp with the team but look for him to make a few appearances at some point next season should injuries strike.