by The Royals announced four minor league contracts this afternoon. They are right Cody Poteet and Brooks Kriske minor league free agent outfielder while joining the organization Seuly Matias returns for eighth year with the franchise. Kansas City also confirmed its previously reported non-roster deal with the catcher. Jackson Reetz.
Poteet is the most notable of the bunch as he’s taken some quick work at the major league level over the past few seasons. As a career-long member of the Marlins, he debuted in the middle of the 2021 season. The right player made seven starts that year, allowing just under five won runs per nine innings. The Poteet produced good swing and miss rates and averaged just under 94 MPH in the warmer to start, but struggled with walks and home runs in this limited appearance. His first season was interrupted due to a sprain in his right knee.
In 2022, injuries were a story again, as the UCLA product missed most of the year with elbow problems. When he was healthy, he was sent primarily on long relief work, starting only two of his 12 trips. Poteet shot 28 frames on this stretch, putting in a good 3.86 ERA, but saw his hit rate drop to 18.4%. His speed improved over shorter distances, as his four-stitch fastball averaged 94.9 MPH. Poteet relied more often on his change, especially against left-handed hitters, while turning to slider more often against right-handers.
At the end of the season, Miami managed Poteet with firm waivers. He was derelict and was selected as a minor league free agent and is now participating in the second organization of his career. The 28-year-old adds a depth option for return or long relief to the upper levels. He has a 4.45 ERA over 58 2/3 MLB frames in parts of his seven minor league seasons and a 3.81 with a strike rate of 18.8%.
In February, the 29-year-old Kriske made 16 MLB appearances for the split between the Yankees and Orioles. These came from 2020-21 and are relaxing, allowing 25 laps in 15 innings. Kriske, a USC product, made the leap to Japan last season. He signed a deal with NPB’s Yokohama BayStars and split the season between the highest level and minor league member. In 18 games with the BayStars, Kriske posted a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings. He perfectly hit 29.2% of the hitters he faced, but outstripped 14.6% of his opponents.
Kriske has a 2.34 ERA on parts of his four minor league campaigns, most spent in New York systems. It has a great hit rate of 33.3% at lower levels. Control issues have been a problem throughout his career, as he outstripped 10.7% of minor league goalscorers. Still, he showed his ability to miss a lot of bats against top opponents.
Matias was once a highly respected prospect, largely thanks to his right-handed power potential. Corner is confined to his outfield and has dealt with serious hits and misses throughout his career, and these concerns have kept him from climbing the ladder. The 24-year-old has reached .225/.330/.424 in 414 games this year with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Matias made 16 home runs while scoring a third of the time. It hasn’t reached the majors yet.
