Cooper Hummel DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Baltimore Orioles signed outfielder Cooper Hummer on Sunday after he opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees, according to The Baltimore Sun's Jacob Calvin Meyer. In a corresponding move, the Orioles designated second baseman Terrin Vavra for assignment. The switch-hitting Hummel is a career .159 hitter in 82 major-league games but has a career .284 average and .894 OPS in Triple-A. The 30-year-old was hitting .258/.415/.290 with no home runs in 41 plate appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent. The Orioles outfielders are beat up, but even so, Hummel is a long shot to return to the big leagues with Baltimore and make a major impact. The former 18th-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016 out of Portland played in only six games with the Astros in 2024 and went 0-for-8 with a steal.

The Houston Astros have claimed utility player Cooper Hummel off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. The 29-year-old spent the 2023 season in the Mariners organization, hitting just .087 without a homer across just 10 games with the big club while he also hit .262 with eight homers and a hefty 26 stolen bases across 104 games with Triple-A Tacoma. A veteran of 76 career MLB contests, Hummel has posted a .166 average with three homers and five stolen bases across 227 trips to the plate, much of which was spent with the Los Angeles Angels. He boasts a patient approach, as evidenced by his 18% BB% at Triple-A last season, and has plenty of defensive versatility, including catcher, first base, and the outfield.

The San Francisco Giants acquired outfielder Cooper Hummel from the New York Mets on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations. The Mets had claimed Hummel off waivers earlier in the offseason and then designated Hummel for assignment. Hummel played in only 10 major-league games for the Seattle Mariners in 2023 and went 2-for-23 (.087) with a double, stolen base and two runs scored. The 29-year-old slashed .262/.409/.435 with an .844 OPS, eight home runs, 47 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 104 games with Triple-A Tacoma in the minor leagues last year. He has gone 33-for-199 (.166) with only three home runs and 17 RBI in 76 major-league games with the M's and Arizona Diamondbacks in the last two seasons. Expect Hummel to provide minor-league outfield depth for the Gigantes in 2024.