The MLB trade deadline passed Tuesday and a couple of former Razorbacks were involved in what was a seller’s market, with contending teams willing to pay exorbitant prices for help in a playoff push. Unfortunately, it also meant some bad news for Arkansas star Heston Kjerstad, now on the Baltimore Orioles.
Kjerstad Falls Victim to Deadline Chaos
The most interesting development from the deadline involving an ex-Razorback is how the Orioles opted to handle Heston Kjerstad.
The former No. 2 overall pick was one of the Orioles’ prospects in a loaded farm system not to be sent off in a deal for pitching help. General Manager Mike Elias instead opted to send fellow outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby as part of a package to the Marlins in exchange for starter Trevor Rogers.
However, less than 48 hours after the deadline passed, Kjerstad was sent back to AAA Norfolk for the third time this year.
“Norby and Stowers have been awesome,” Kjerstad said in the Baltimore clubhouse prior to being sent down. “Not only great friends to me but great baseball players. They’re going to go on and have great big league careers.”
The demotion was a tough twist for Kjerstad.
In an earlier move, the Orioles sent fellow outfielder Austin Hays to the Phillies. It looked like there would be at least some outfield playing time for Kjerstad down the stretch, who has acquainted himself well at the major league level with limited playing time across three separate stints, hitting .253 with five homers in 99 career at-bats.
Despite starting this year just 2 for 14, Kjerstad found his form after being called back up to the big leagues in late June. In his most recent stint, he was hitting .291 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 55 at bats. The performance was seemingly worthy of more playing time for a franchise with the fourth-best odds of making the 2024 World Series according to MLB baseball betting platforms.
However, with just 17 minutes before the 5 p.m. CT trade deadline on Tuesday, the Orioles made two moves to acquire more outfielders.
First, they acquired Eloy Jimenez from the putrid Chicago White Sox as part of a salary dump. He has been widely regarded as one of the players with the most potential, but has had trouble staying on the field in the past few years due to injury, making just 185 starts in the outfield since the start of his MLB career in 2019 and just one this year.
Then, in another buzzer-beater deal, Baltimore also acquired veteran outfielder Austin Slater from the Reds for cash. Even with both players having not yet reported to Baltimore, Kjerstad found himself on the bench for the fifth time in six games in a 10-4 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday. Manager Brandon Hyde opted to go with a starting outfield of Colton Cowser in left, Cedric Mullins in center and Anthony Santander in right with Ryan O’Hearn as the designated hitter.
Barring an injury, Kjerstad may be forced to wait yet again until the following season for another shot at sticking in The Show. O’Hearn is on a club option after this year for $7.5 million and Santander is an unrestricted free agent. Until then, Kjerstad has been relegated back to the minor leagues to wait his turn.
Arkansas Teammates Shipped Across the Country
Two members of the legendary 2013 pitching staff for Arkansas baseball, which posted the best ERA in Division I since 1976, are on the move.
The ace of that staff, Ryne Stanek is now a reliever and was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Mets as a 33rd birthday present. This marks his sixth major league team in eight seasons.
He carries a 4.38 ERA in 46 appearances this year and should help a Mets bullpen that carries the fourth-highest ERA since the start of May. However, he made a rough first impression on his new teammates, giving up three runs in an inning of work in his New York debut.
Stanek is still expected to be a late-inning reliever as a bridge to closer Edwin Diaz and bounced back two days later with 2/3 of an inning of scoreless work en route to a 2-0 win.
Jalen Beeks, a key bullpen arm on that 2013 team before moving into the rotation the following year, was also traded. He received a one-way ticket away from Coors Field and the Colorado Rockies, landing in Pittsburgh.
With the Pirates, Beeks joins one of the more exciting pitching staffs in the league, headed by former LSU star Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, another rookie with solid numbers. In his first appearance with his new team, Beeks gave up a run and now has a 4.74 ERA in 46 outings this year.
James McCann Has a New Big Fan
Finally, in a bit of non-trade-related news, James McCann has had much better luck staying with the Orioles and even gained a new fan from one of his newest teammates.
He made national news earlier this week when he took a 95 mph fastball off the nose and actually stayed in the game and took his base. That prompted both Orioles color analyst Ben McDonald and Orioles starter Zach Eflin, making his first start for the O’s after being traded from the Tampa Bay Rays, to praise McCann for his extreme toughness. McCann also returned to the lineup with a fractured nose less than 48 hours later.
“Is this dude really going to stay in the game?” McDonald said on the broadcast. “If he stays in the game, he is the toughest guy in the world.”
As Arkansas baseball goes through a slow period, just remember you’re not as tough as McCann. It’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who is.
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Heston Kjerstad as Best Hog Hitter Ever
Kjerstad played 150 games as a Razorback, but only 16 came his junior season where he appeared to be at his best. This season Kjerstad was hitting .448/.513/.791, which are incredible numbers. He was getting on base more often than he was getting out. He also had six home runs and 20 RBIs.
If Heston maintained his season numbers for all of the 56-game 2020 campaign, he would have ended with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs on 105 hits and 67 runs scored going into the SEC Tournament and a likely NCAA tournament appearance.
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