Mariners News: Seattle Mariners Claim A.J. Schugel From Diamondbacks

The Seattle Mariners claim A.J. Schugel off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President and General Manager, Jerry Dipoto didn’t wait very long before making another move.  He claimed A.J. Schugel from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  A.J. Schugel is a 26 year old right handed pitcher that has both been a reliever and a starter.  He spent six years in the Angels and Diamondbacks Minor League systems mostly as a starter.  As you may have surmised, Jerry Dipoto is very familiar with Schugel.  Schugel was the player to be named later in the trade that sent Trumbo to Arizona from the Angels in 2013.  At the time he was a very highly touted prospect in the Angels organization.  So this move brings Schugel back to Jerry Dipoto’s roster and under his control.

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As a starter in the Minors Schugel logged 109 games and got 32 wins and 34 losses.   The right handed hurler achieved a 4.04 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP during his Minor League career.  His strikeout to walk ratio was 2.02 which means he struck out two batters for every walk he gave up.  These numbers are very interesting when you break it down by levels.

In Double-A he had a 2.98 ERA and in Triple-A he had a 7.99 ERA.  The 6-foot 205 pound hurler has really struggled in Triple-A.

Schugel had two cups of coffee in the Majors last year with Arizona.  He did well in some relief appearances.  But  he was demoted to Triple-A (where he struggles) and subsequently to Double-A and then back up to Triple-A and then yes eventually again to the big club even though he struggled.  In 5 total appearances he logged a 5.00 ERA and 2.444 WHIP in nine total innings at the Major league level.

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His arsenal as reported by Garrett Wilson includes an 89 to 91 mile per hour fastball that tails in to the right handed hitters.   He also throws a “slurve” which is a combo slider and curve.  But his best pitch is his changeup and he relies heavily.  Reportedly he has excellent command and is a strike thrower.

This is most likely the draw for Jerry Dipoto.  If you recall, Dipoto’s philosophy is that he wants hitters that don’t strike out and pitchers that throw strikes and strike batters out.  Schugel has potential, however he will need to figure out how to succeed at the upper levels if he plans to have a long career as either a reliever or a starter.  To make room on the 40-man roster, Spokane native Tyler Olson was designated for assignment.