The San Diego Padres traded outfielder Chris Denorfia to the Seattle Mariners this afternoon. In exchange, the Padres receive outfielder Abraham Almonte and pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen. Here's a report on the prospects.
Abraham Almonte, OF: Almonte was originally signed by the New York Yankees from the Dominican Republic in 2005. He was traded to the Mariners in February 2013 for pitcher Shawn Kelley. Almonte opened 2014 in the Mariners outfield but didn't hold the job, hitting .198/.248/.292 in 27 games. Sent down to Triple-A Tacoma in May, he's hitting .267/.333/.390 on the season with 28 walks, 66 strikeouts in 277 at-bats.
Almonte is a switch-hitter listed at 5-9, 205, born June 27, 1989. He has above-average running speed and a strong throwing arm that will work at all three positions. He can flash good power but has an aggressive hitting approach which major league pitchers exploited. He had a terrific 2013 season (.314/.403/.491 with 26 steals for Tacoma) but hasn't been able to duplicate it this year.
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Stephen Kohlscheen, RHP: Kohlscheen was a 45th round pick in 2010 out of Auburn University. Although he hasn't ranked highly on prospect lists, he has a good minor league track record and has been effective this season for Tacoma, posting a 3.28 ERA with a 22/6 K/BB in 25 innings for the Rainiers. He had a 2.25 ERA in 32 innings with a 33/6 K/BB in Double-A before moving up to the Pacific Coast League in June.
Kohlscheen is a 6-6, 235 pounder born September 20, 1988. He doesn't excite scouts with an 88-92 MPH fastball and a mediocre slider, but he throws strikes, has some deception, and does a great job against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .161 mark this year. On the other hand, lefties hit .387 against him. He projects as a ROOGY.
ANALYSIS: The Mariners trade a couple of spare parts for, well, a spare part, albeit one with more experience than Almonte. Seems fair to me on both ends.