Trey Haley

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2008
R:  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1.0 IP, 9.0 BB/9, 9.0 K/9
A-:  0-1-0, 54.00 ERA, 7.50 WHIP, 1.1 IP, 40.5 BB/9, 6.8 K/9

Haley signed at the deadline and got into only three games, one in the Gulf Coast League and two in the New York-Penn League.  The latter stop went badly as he couldn’t throw strikes.  Baseball America rated him the Indians’ 20th best prospect after the season.

2009
A:  4-8-0, 5.56 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 77.2 IP, 7.5 BB/9, 6.6 K/9

The Indians moved Haley up to low A and he struggled as a starter.  Opponents batted only .241 against him, but he walked more than he struck out.

2010
A:  5-11-0, 5.97 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 116.0 IP, 6.7 BB/9, 7.5 K/9

Haley returned to low A, still as a starter, and didn’t fare any better.

2011
R:  0-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 12.0 K/9
A:  0-0-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 5.7 BB/9, 12.1 K/9
A+:  1-1-1, 3.77 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 5.3 BB/9, 8.5 K/9

Cleveland moved Haley to the bullpen and his velocity jumped to the mid-90s.  He was hampered by a groin injury that cost him parts of the season’s first half.  He struck out a lot more batters, but continued to have control problems.  BA nevertheless rated him the Indians’ 16th best prospect.

2012
R:  1-0-0, 7.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 3.0 BB/9, 15.0 K/9
A+:  0-0-2, 1.04 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 17.1 IP, 3.1 BB/9, 8.3 K/9
AA:  3-1-0, 1.76 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 6.5 BB/9, 13.5 K/9

Haley missed two months due to a sports hernia, but otherwise continued to pitch much as he had the previous year, only a little better.  His walk and K rates continued to be very high.  BA rated him 14th in the Cleveland system.  The Indians added Haley to their 40-man roster after the season.

2013
AA:  1-4-7, 4.70 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 44.0 IP, 8.0 BB/9, 9.4 K/9

Haley spent the year in AA and managed to stay healthy, but his control took a turn for the worse.  BA dropped him to 28th in the Cleveland system.  After the season, the Indians dropped Haley from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to AAA.

2014
R:  1-0-0, 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 4.2 IP, 1.9 BB/9, 11.6 K/9
AA:  0-0-0, 7.16 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 7.2 BB/9, 8.3 K/9

Haley was injured again at the start of the season and didn’t debut until late June.  He joined the Indians’ AA affiliate after rehabbing and continued to have trouble throwing strikes.  He would have been a minor league free agent after the season, but re-signed with the Indians before that happened.

2015
AA:  0-2-0, 2.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 34.0 IP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.1 K/9
AAA:  4-2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 21.0 IP, 9.0 BB/9, 9.4 K/9

Haley stayed healthy and made significant progress in AA, cutting the walks dramatically and striking out well over a batter an inning.  The Indians moved him up for his first shot at AAA in mid-July and the control issues returned, as he walked exactly a batter an inning.  After the season, Haley became a minor league free agent and teh Pirates signed him to a major league deal.

2016
AA:  0-1-0, 4.35 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 9.6 BB/9, 9.6 K/9
AAA:  2-4-5, 5.76 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 45.1 IP, 6.4 BB/9, 6.4 K/9

Teams don’t usually sign minor league free agents to major league deals, but it does happen a few times each off-season.  Haley was an extreme case, though, as he had never reached the majors and had thrown only 21 unsuccessful innings in AAA.  The experiment didn’t work, as Haley struggled in AAA.  When the Pirates had to add Erik Kratz following an injury to Francisco Cervelli, they designated Haley for assignment.  He cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA.  That was in mid-June.  He went on to have his one good month of the season, holding batters in June to a .524 OPS, but even then he walked ten in 12.1 IP.  He went back to struggling in all areas in July and, at the end of the month, the Pirates demoted him to Altoona.  His first two outings were rough, as he retired only five of the 12 hitters he faced.  After that, he allowed no runs in 9.2 IP, but he still walked six.

Haley will be a free agent after the season.