Received in Denorfia Trade: Who are Abraham Almonte and Stephen Kohlscheen?

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The Padres Newest Player Abraham Almonte: Mandatory Credit goeshttp://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/31474.png&w=350&h=254

The Padres traded long-time platoon outfielder Chris Denorfia to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Abraham Almonte and pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen.

Almonte, a 25-year old outfielder, is a fireplug at 5’9” and 205 pounds. The Dominican right-hander is built for power, but also shows good speed on the basepaths. In 2013, he split time between Seattle’s Double-A and Triple-A  teams and the major league club, combining for 27 doubles, 6 triples and 17 HR, while stealing 26 bases. Most of that production came at the Triple-A level, where he put up an impressive slash line of .314/.403/.491. He has played all three outfield positions, with a fair number in center field, but he projects more as a corner outfielder in the big leagues.

Kohlscheen, a 25-year old right-handed reliever, is 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. His primary strength is that he throws strikes with his sinking fastball, which he throws in the 91-93 mph range. His ability to pound the strike zone has resulted in a 9.8 K/9 in his minor league career. He has split this season between the Mariner’s Double-A team in Jackson and Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, throwing 56.2 innings with a 2.70 ERA and a 55:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Almonte could certainly be assigned to the Padres’ major-league roster, while Kohlscheen seems likely to start in El Paso (AAA).