Zach Pop The Mariners announced that the waiver was cleared and elected as free agent. Seattle designated the right rescuer for the mission over the weekend.
Pop, 28, took a short run in Dan Wilson’s bullpen. He signed a minor league contract in mid-April and was selected to be on the MLB roster on June 13. The Kentucky product made four appearances over the next two weeks. He gave up nine runs with 10 hits (8 gains) and walked a pair in 5 1/3 innings. Pop recorded just three strikeouts out of 30 hitters, with a swing of less than 7%.
Pop spent several seasons with Blue Jays before he had a brief run in Seattle. He didn’t miss a lot of bats, but recorded a 55% ball rate last year in 48 1/3 innings. While it’s hard for bats to lift the ball, they do a lot of damage when they are able to succeed in the air. More than 20% of the fly balls cleared the fence, resulting in a 5.59 running average.
Pop has 4.75 ERA in five major league campaigns. He may be limited to minor league offers, but since the average speed of the settler is about 96 mph, it should attract teams as a depth option.
