Was good to hear from former Greensboro News and Record sportswriter and former Greensboro minor league baseball beat writer, Bill Hass this week, and Bill also wrote Bill on Baseball for the Greensboro Grasshoppers for several years, and Bill has the beat/pulse on what is happening with the former Greensboro Grasshoppers, as the MLB Trade Deadline came and went this week….
Bill says:
I counted three former Hoppers who were involved in the trade deadline frenzy that ended Tuesday. Rodolfo Castro went from Pittsburgh to the Phillies, Mark Canha from the Mets to Milwaukee and Brad Hand from Colorado to Atlanta. Here’s a capsule look at each:
Rodolfo Castro: The first Hopper to be promoted to Pittsburgh after Greensboro became a Pirates affiliate. He played in 61 games with the Hoppers in 2019, hitting .242 with 14 HR and 46 RBI before being promoted to Bradenton. Has spent parts of three seasons with the Pirates, hitting .226 with 22 HR and 57 RBI in 180 games. His appeal is that he’s a switch-hitter who can play 2B, SS and 3B.
Mark Canha: An often-overlooked member of the 2011 Hoppers’ South Atlantic League championship team that also had Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto and Marcell Ozuna. Canha led the Hoppers with 25 HR and 85 RBI while hitting .276. Although he never achieved the major-league stardom of those three, Canha has been a solid player in nine seasons, hitting .248 with 108 HR and 384 RBI in nine seasons with Oakland and the Mets. His best year was 2019 with the A’s, when he hit .273 with 26 HR and 58 RBI. Canha is versatile as an OF, 1B, 3B or DH.
Brad Hand: The left-hander was a second-round draft pick out of high school by the Marlins in 2008. He spent 2009 in Greensboro at age 19, going 7-13 with a 4.86 ERA. The Marlins promoted him to the majors just two years later and he clearly wasn’t ready, going 1-8. He eventually transitioned to the bullpen and became a full-time closer with San Diego in 2017. Hand recorded 24 saves in 2018, 34 with Cleveland in 2019 and 21 with Washington in 2021. Only 33 years old, Hand is in his 13th season. Overall, his record is 38-53 in 559 games (43 starts) with a 3.86 ERA and 131 saves. The Braves are his ninth major-league team. He’s not a closer anymore, but left-handed relievers are always at a premium.