SB Nation - Wes Littleton

Some Interesting Minor League Free Agent Pitchers

R.J. Anderson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:13 -0000

Here's the thing about the minor league free agents list. You can spend literally an hour just checking out every name and tracing the prospect genesis of the ones you recognize and it never gets old. There's also a cognitive filter where any semi-interesting player gains a mention on the "Ooh I want!" list. Once promised pitchers will undoubtedly figure things out and hitters will either engage a girl with the last name Luck or invoke on a journey that begins with this:

Scene: Back alley of an abandoned warehouse

A man with a trench coat and extended black case raps on the door amidst the raspy coughing of a stray cat encountering a fur ball.

The warehouse door swings open with an abrupt thud and quickly the man scatters inside. Indoors, the case is handed to the new man while a stack of dollars is bagged and placed within the trench coat. The mystery man places the case on the table and undoes the latches, opening the case and removing shackles before revealing a fine wooden black baseball bat with an orange 25 engraved into the barrel.

Lifting the bat into the moonlight the new owner gasped ‘Gee willickers!" as he took an effortless practice cut or three and could feel the power surge through his veins. The trench coat man begins to make his way out of the door once again but stops at the door to administer a warning, "Look kid, this is the last one, make it last, okay?"

"Yes...yes sir. Good golly thanks a ton mister."

With that in mind, I've compiled a list of mildly intriguing relievers. The idea here is not to land a closer in his prime, but instead find an arm or two who can contribute when injuries and ineffective pitching hit the Rays pen. For this exercise I'm working with the assumption that these guys would take the standard minor league deal and would not require a 40 man roster spot.

Winston Abreu

Striking out nearly a third of the total batters you face indicates you do something well. Holding such a proportion when the sample size is closing in on 1,250 is remarkable. He throws hard. He seems to have a decent secondary offering. In 44 Major League innings Abreu's contact rate is superior (72.1%) to league average (around 81%) and his issues are rooted almost entirely in home runs allowed. That issue does not show up throughout his minor league career and 44 innings is a tiny sample size stretched over four seasons. He received some shine last season to the tune of 128 pitches and was horrendous but for someone who took fewer dollars to return to the system after being designated for assignment by Cleveland, you have to think he's a lock for next year. A spring training invite is hardly a pyrrhic victory for the Rays.

Wes Littleton

The meaningful statistics on Littleton: 102 innings pitched, 59.6% grounders, a strikeout rate essentially equal to the career of Lance Cormier, and a better walk rate to boot. Split last year between Boston and Milwaukee and saw wacky walk rates throughout. Whether that was due to an injury is unbeknownst to me. Was drafted by Texas in 2003 which, I believe, overlaps with Matt Arnold's time in Arlington. Sits in the upper-80s and uses a slider and change effectively against both hands. Worst case: a potential replacement for Chad Bradford's groundhog-thumping ways. Ehren Wasserman, Shane Loux, and Ryan Speier would also make sense in that role.

Scott Patterson

The second of the chichi minor league lifers whom fan infatuation arises naturally like grass. Pitching baseballs is like everything else in the sense that entertainment and enjoyment derived is quickly decreased once money becomes involved. Whether it's writing, telling jokes, or playing baseball, doing it just to make the next rent or car payment takes its toll. Back to Patterson. In the last few seasons he's split time between New York, San Diego, and Oakland. He holds a 10 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in Triple-A through nearly 115 innings and yet has a handful of appearances in the majors to show for it. His walk rate went berserk this year and his fastball doesn't make love to the radar guns.

Marcus McBeth

A former outfield prospect with the Athletics, McBeth spent last season with the Red Sox and saw timei n the majors with the Reds in 2007. He's a fastball pitcher with a decent fastball and supposedly good change. His whiff rates have been impressive throughout the minors.

Andrew Brown

Spent nearly 90 innings in the majors and wasn't poor but missed all of 2009 with a slight labrum tear and rotator cuff damage. Status for 2010: beats me.

That's enough from me, which names pique your interest?

The Brewers' Rule 5 Draft Eligible Players

TheJay — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:15:08 -0000

As noted in my FanPost of Sunday night, the deadline for filing major league and minor league reserve lists is fast approaching. Eligible players not added to the major league 40-man roster by November 20 can be selected in the Rule 5 draft.

What does it take to be eligible?

If 19 or older on the June 5th before he signed his first contract, a player is eligible for the fourth Rule 5 draft after signing (usually after four years in the minors).
If 18 or younger on the June 5th before he signed his first contract, a player is eligible for the fifth Rule 5 draft after signing (usually after five years in the minors).
Any player who is eligible for one Rule 5 draft is eligible for all subsequent Rule 5 drafts.

(see ESPN Transactions Primer , Baseball America Rule 5 Draft column, MLB Rules summaries)

You may recall some Brewers being added to the 40-man roster last offseason to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Omar Aguilar, Alexandre Periard, Mark Rogers, and Cody Scarpetta were the fantastic four. At the risk of undermining the above statements, Scarpetta actually became eligible for the draft through a little-known technicality: the Brewers voided his original contract because of an injury and later re-signed him, making him immediately eligible (link). That comes up probably once in a February blue moon.

I have attempted to make a comprehensive list of Brewers farmhands who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Obviously not all (or even most) of these players are realistic candidates to be selected. In addition, some of these guys may be minor league free agents. If you think I've made a mistake or missed someone, post a comment. Notable names are above the jump while you must click and scroll for the rest. Ages listed are for the 2010 season and levels listed are where the player spent the bulk of 2009:

Zach Braddock (22, LHP, A+/AA - one of the last draft-and-follow players, he did not sign until the spring of 2006 at the age of 18. This gives him one more year before becoming eligible.)
Lorenzo Cain (24, CF, AA)
Chris Cody (26, LHP, AA/AAA)
Nick Green (25, RHP, AA/AAA)
Taylor Green (23, 3B, AA - another draft-and-follow guy, brewerfan has him signing June 1, 2006. Since he did not turn 19 until November 2005, I think that puts him in the 18 and younger category and means he is not eligible until next offseason. Lorenzo Cain was in a similar situation last year.)
Dave Johnson (27, RHP, AAA)
Mike Jones (27, RHP, A+/AA/AAA - former #1 pick finally reached AAA, did not do well)
Brendan Katin (27, RF, AAA)
Mike Ramlow (24, LHP, Inj/A - yet another draft-and-follow, injured most of this season)
Amaury Rivas (24, RHP, A+)

The Brewers currently have 33 of 40 roster spots filled. I am not 100% sure of Green's exemption from the draft but the Brewers certainly have roster room if I'm wrong. We'll all find out together on Friday. Assuming Green does not need to be protected, I think only Lorenzo Cain and Amaury Rivas really need to be added to the roster. I don't think the other guys are tempting enough for any team to commit a 25-man roster spot in December. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the current talent and/or upside just aren't there.

As promised, the rest of the Rule 5 eligible farmhands.

Erick Almonte (32 in 2010, 1B, spent 2009 in AAA)
Patrick Arlis (29, C, AAA)
Mike Burns (31, RHP, AAA/MLB)
Chuck Caufield (26, LF/RF, AA)
Anderson de la Rosa (25, C, A+)
Ryan Delaughter (23, RHP, R - converted outfielder threw 5 innings in Arizona rookie ball.)
Chris Errecart (25, 1B, A+)
Jim Henderson (27, RHP, A/A+ - Canadian added veteran presence to low-minors bullpens.)
Robert Hinton (25, RHP, AA)
Mark Holliman (26, RHP, AA)
JR Hopf (27, C, AA)
Shane Justis (27, 2B, AA - was selected in minor league portion of last year's Rule 5 draft.)
Brandon Kintzler (25, RHP, AA - not sure how it works for these indy-league guys. Not sure it matters.)
Brock Kjeldgaard (24, 1B, A - converted pitcher known for power, strikeouts.)
Joe Koshansky (28, 1B, AAA)
Rafael Lluberes (25, LHP, A+)
Martin Maldonado (23, C, A+)
Michael McClendon (25, RHP, AA)
Sean McCraw (24, C, A)
Johnny Raburn (31, 2B/SS, AA/AAA)
Tike Redman (33, OF, AAA - former Pirate spent about as much time in Nashville as Jon Knott.)
Jose Romero (24, LHP, R - injury-marred career, presumably.)
Ivan Rusova (23, RHP, R - who? The Giants somehow drafted this Cuban in the in 26th round in 2005.)
Juan Sandoval (29, RHP, AA)
Adam Stern (30, OF, AA - O Canada!)
David Welch (27, LHP, AA - the lone representative from Australia.)

The following players would have been Rule 5 eligible but are already minor league free agents according to Brewerfan. A few names from the above list (i.e., Redman) probably belong down here, too:

Drew Anderson (29, LF, AA - he actually spent September 2006 in the majors.)
Chris Capuano (31, LHP, Inj/R)
Carlos Corporan (26, C, AAA - hitting only 1.000 in major league play.)
Ruben Flores (26, RHP, A - acquired for Bill Hall.)
Lindsay Gulin (33, LHP, AAA)
Ryan Houston (30, RHP, AAA)
Jon Knott (31, RF, AAA - spent about two weeks in a Nashville uniform.)
Wes Littleton (27, RHP, AA/AAA - best known for "saving" a 27-run game with the Rangers.)
Kevin Melillo (28, 1B/3B, AA)
Sam Narron (28, LHP, AAA)
Freddy Parejo (25, RF, AA)
Josh Wahpepah (25, RHP, AA)
Chase Wright (27, RHP, AAA - outrighted off 40-man roster on August 26.)

That's a lot of links about a bunch of guys no one will remember a few weeks from now. :)

All Assumptions-Are-Dangerous Minor League Free Agent Team

Jeff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:07:19 -0000

Dave at Fangraphs passed along a link to this year's crop of minor league free agents. A popular thing to do with this information is pick out a handful of guys that would make interesting and potentially worthwhile pick-ups. This is not that. This is a full team made up of guys who, years ago, were supposed to go on to do some big big things, only to end up on the fall 2009 list of mlFA's. Consider this just another reminder that you should never ever ever take a prospect's future for granted.*

C: JR House
1B: Ryan Shealy
2B: Josh Barfield
SS: Antonio Perez
3B: Dallas McPherson
LF: Wes Bankston
CF: Joe Borchard
RF: John-Ford Griffin
DH: Josh Phelps

BENCH-C: JD Closser (does Ben Davis still count?)
BENCH-INF: Eric Duncan
BENCH-OF: Dave Krynzel
BENCH-UTIL: Donnie Murphy

SP: Jerome Williams
SP: Greg Miller
SP: Kenny Baugh
SP: Humberto Sanchez
SP: Bobby Brownlie

RP: Jose Capellan
RP: Wes Littleton
RP: Casey Fossum
RP: John Van Benschoten
RP: Chad Orvella
RP: Clint Everts
RP: Andrew Brown

If there were a 26th spot, I'd give it to Dee Brown, but it would just be so damn easy to include him that I had to find an alternative. Also among the free agents are formerly established Major Leaguers like Chris Capuano and Chad Cordero, along with the astonishingly driven Jolbert Cabrera. Jolbert just wants to win. Come on, Yankees. Take the plunge. Win one for Jolbert.

If there were a 27th spot, I'd give it to Mark McGonigle, because, really? McGonigle?

* never take any player's future for granted

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:47:50 -0000

by Jeff Roberson - AP

Todd Coffey walks around the mound as Matt Holliday rounds the bases following a three-run home run Tuesday.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while pursuing other opportunities.

Walking Albert Pujols to get to Matt Holliday didn't work out so well for the Brewers last night. Todd Coffey is accepting blame for the loss, but David Brown of Yahoo wonders why the Brewers didn't just take their chances with Pujols.

I promise I'll limit myself to one paragraph on J.J. Hardy today, so if you're sick of hearing about him, feel free to skip ahead. He denied being asked to take ground balls at third, and says it makes sense for him to be traded this offseason. Miller Park Drunk is helping Alcides Escobar fill in the void by giving him some tips regarding interaction with the ladies.

I'm not banging my head against the desk yet, but I'm keeping a space clear in case I need to start. Adam McCalvy's game preview for today has a look at the catching situation for next season, and Jason Kendall says he'd like to return. Of course, Mike Rivera also says he'd like to play every day.

Buried in the "Notes" section of that preview might be the bigger news: Ken Macha is adjusting his rotation to bump Yovani Gallardo back a few days. Gallardo will now pitch on Saturday instead of Thursday. The move will get him one less start in September, hopefully saving his arm for a more competitive 2010 team.

We've been talking a fair amount about Prince Fielder lately, but Ryan Braun had a pretty good August too, and earned a spot on MLB Notebook's August All Star Team.

In the minors:

The Brewers have two prospects in the top 25 in Project Prospect's rankings of position prospects. Alcides Escobar (#14) is the no-brainer, but for the first time I can recall, it's actually Caleb Gindl joining him in the top 25. Mat Gamel and Brett Lawrie both earned honorable mention.
Lawrie is one of four Brewer prospects who either have left or will leave their minor league teams to play for Team Canada in the Baseball World Cup. He'll be joined by pitchers Nick Bucci and Jim Henderson and center fielder Adam Stern.
Glancing at Baseball America's Minor League Transactions, I noticed the Brewers released pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen. Wilhelmsen was a former 7th round pick and top prospect for the Brewers, but as a commenter noted in this Mug, he eventually fell out of the organization due to a substance abuse issue. Wilhelmsen was re-signed out of the independent leagues earlier this season, but his second run with the Brewers lasted less than a month.

With last night's loss, CoolStandings dropped the Brewers' playoff chances to 0.1%. They're so far out of the playoff race, they don't even appear in Baseball Musings' Massive Tie Scenario.

Around baseball:

D-Backs: Acquired pitcher Kevin Mulvey from the Twins as the PTBNL in the Jon Rauch deal.
Dodgers: Designated outfielder Jamie Hoffman for assignment.
Rangers: Designated pitcher Thomas Diamond, their #1 pick in 2004, for assignment.
Rays: Designated reliever Joe Nelson for assignment to make room for Sean Rodriguez, acquired from the Angels as the PTBNL in the Scott Kazmir deal.
Red Sox: Designated outfielder Jeff Bailey for assignment.

There are dozens of major league debuts and returns being made this week as rosters expand, but it's possible the best story is happening in Houston, where Aaron Boone has returned to the active roster just five months after undergoing open heart surgery.

On this day in 2002, Kerry Wood struck out four Brewers in the fourth inning and hit a two run home run as the Cubs beat the Brewers 17-4 in game two of a doubleheader. The Brewers won game one behind two solo home runs from Ronnie Belliard.

Happy birthday today to Wes Littleton, who has split 2009 between Huntsville and Nashville and turns 27 today, and to Rick Manning, who turns 55.

That's all I've got for you today, unless you're interested in meat market specials.

Drink up.

Cubs "Celebrate" Moon Landing Anniversary By Letting Phillies Blast Them Into Orbit 10-1

Al — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:16:42 -0000

More photos » by H. Rumph Jr. - AP

Hey, Jack. You're in Philadelphia. Maybe a Yankees cap isn't the best idea?

Browse more photos »

PHILADELPHIA -- Between innings of last night's ugly 10-1 Cubs loss to the Phillies, the strange-looking green Philadelphia mascot the Phillie Phanatic came racing out on his small motorized vehicle wearing a Batman cape and mask. At first, this didn't seem to make any sense -- until the scoreboard in left field showed actor Jack Nicholson sitting in the front row behind the plate. Nicholson, who played the Joker in the 1989 movie "Batman", is in Philadelphia to film what is currently known as "Untitled James L. Brooks Project" with, among others, Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson. He sat there with a Joker-like grin on his face as the Phanatic tried to hex him.

That, my friends, was the only amusement Cubs fans had in this loss, which broke a four-game winning streak and was the Phillies' ninth win in a row. We knew it wouldn't be easy here in Philadelphia and, to be sure, the Phillies aren't the Nationals... but this was one of the worst, if not the worst, losses of the year.

Ted Lilly didn't have it last night -- but everything might have changed everything had plate umpire Larry Vanover had given him a third-strike call on a 1-2 pitch to Raul Ibanez. Ted thought he had Ibanez and gotten out of the inning unscathed, but Vanover called the pitch "ball two" and Ibanez sent the next Lilly offering into the shrubbery in center field for a three-run homer, just out of reach of Kosuke Fukudome.

As it turned out, any Cubs fans in Citizens Bank Park -- and there weren't many last night, perhaps the fewest Cubs fans I've seen at any road game in the last couple of years -- could have left right then, because those three runs were enough to win the game. The Cubs managed only a consolation run off ~~Greg Maddux~~ Rodrigo Lopez on an Andres Blanco double and a RBI single from Ryan Theriot.

Oh, and Lou? Take careful note of what Charlie Manuel did with his pitchers last night. That's how you manage a bullpen in a blowout! Instead of playing it like a spring training game, pitching a bunch of relievers for an inning or maybe two at a time, Manuel put Chad Durbin in the game in the seventh inning and let him finish; that resulted in Durbin's third major league save, since the save rule allows you to post a save if you throw three innings with any lead. (The most extreme example of this occurred on August 22, 2007, when Texas' Wes Littleton threw the final three innings of their 30-3 blowout of the Orioles, getting a save in a game his team won by 27 runs, although his team led by "only" 11 runs when he entered the game.)

Lou could have had Jeff Stevens throw two innings and Aaron Heilman, who needs the work to get straightened out (since they seem to be immune to suggestions to get rid of him), the other two. There was absolutely no reason to put Angel Guzman, who might be needed in more important play the next two days, in a 9-1 game in the 8th inning. Guzman threw 20 pitches and allowed Ryan Howard's 24th homer of the season. I'd rather have seen him kept fresh for tonight.

Meanwhile, the Phillies fans were giving it to Alfonso Soriano in LF for dropping one fly ball that led to a pair of unearned Phillies runs, and for letting another ball drop between him and Kosuke Fukudome. I can't say I blame them -- Soriano had a bad game in the field last night, although his three singles boosted his BA to .244, the highest it's been since June 2. Late in the game, Soriano chased after a foul ball down the line and the fans in LF were yelling for him to throw it up to them. I'm thinking, "You've been heckling him all game and you think he's going to throw you a ball?" He tossed it to the ball girl.

I'll have more to say about Citizens Bank Park tomorrow, as I didn't get a chance to walk around the entire stadium last night. I will say that although it feels more intimate than Nationals Park and the sightlines, even from seats low in the LF corner right next to the foul pole, are good, there were some problems that struck me right away. The lines in the food court like area in the outfield were extremely long even more than an hour before game time. I wound up in "Bull's BBQ" in dead center field -- the BBQ chicken is quite good and that was about the only place there wasn't a line. After eating, trying to get to my seat in the LF corner was an adventure -- the concourse was extremely crowded and you have to walk around the back of some sort of sports bar in LF just to get from section 145 to section 141 from the CF food area. Jessica tried to come by and visit during the game, but instead I just got a text message saying "the ushers were mean" and wouldn't allow it. Security took a couple of innings to get around to ejecting a woman who was spraying beer around the end of her aisle, apparently trying to get Soriano's attention (she failed). Finally, traffic getting out of the place was miserable.

I hope to have more positive things to say about the ballpark and the Cubs in tomorrow's recap. In the meantime, remember that this only counts as one loss and with the Cardinals and Brewers both losing last night, the Cubs remain in second place by themselves, still only two games out of first. (And, for what it's worth, three games off the wild-card lead, now held by the Rockies.)

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:59:41 -0000

Some things to read while making a list of things to do before having a baby.

Ryan Braun's intercostal muscle continues to be the big story today. Braun left yesterday's game after two at bats (and zero swings) due to stiffness in his side. The team is reportedly considering sending him to the doctor. At this point, I share a question with Chuckie Hacks: Why wasn't a doctor Braun's first stop when he got back to Arizona? Meanwhile, The Disabled List Informer still thinks Braun has been misdiagnosed and it could be a spinal issue.

The team made a bunch of roster moves yesterday, releasing Trot Nixon, optioning Mat Gamel and Angel Salome to Nashville, outrighting Wes Littleton to the minors and sending Jason Bourgeois and Chris Narveson to minor league camp. The Journal Sentinel has a bigger story on Nixon's release, which was especially hard on Ken Macha, who managed Nixon for four seasons in the minors (noted in this FanShot).

So the Brewers were briefly rumored to be interested in Jake Peavy, then the rumor was refuted and everyone went on with their lives. That's life in a big league front office, right? Maybe not. Doug Melvin called the rumor "disrputive" to 2009 preparations. I find it hard to believe that major league general managers aren't used to hearing unfounded rumors about players. That's the kind of thing that happens every day and if it's actually bothering Melvin while he's trying to work, he's not the GM we think he is.

The Peavy rumor was just part of Tom Haudricourt's bad day. First, he called out a commenter for posting a quote about Peavy, then he called covering Wednesday's game, a job most of us would take in a heartbeat, an exercise in tedium. Let me just go ahead and throw this out there: If Tom H. decides he doesn't want to cover baseball anymore, I'll gladly take over for him.

Visual evidence from yesterday's exercise in tedium:

A disembodied arm stopped by to congratulate Casey McGehee on his fifth home run of the spring.
Corey Hart attempted a sliding catch in foul territory.
According to the caption, Prince Fielder celebrated his home run with Prince Fielder, but one of those Princes weighs about 100 lbs more than the other one.

There will be lots of visual evidence of the final game of the Brewers' opening series with the Giants. Thursday night's game will be the first regular season game broadcast in MLB Network history.

How long is your attention span? Depending on how much time you have, Jeff Sackmann has five+ questions regarding the 2009 Brewers, or Dayn Perry has one sentence on how they could win the World Series.

If you read both and still have more time on your hands, head over to The Book Blog and help project playing time for Brewers in 2009. I weighed in this morning and was the first vote.

Two prospect notes today:

Minor League Notebook compared Alcides Escobar and Rangers prospect Elvis Andrus, and gives Escobar the advantage.
Brett Lawrie has started a blog, so stop by and say hi. (h/t Rattler Radio)

Meanwhile, FanGraphs ranked the Brewers sixth in their organizational rankings, one spot ahead of the Cubs, first in the NL Central and ahead of all but several major market teams.

There's only one prediction/projection to cover today: The Wheelhouse picked the Brewers to finish fourth in the Central.

We've been debating/complaining about Jeff Suppan's projected Opening Day start for several days now, so I guess it's about time someone came along to play the other side: Two Fisted Slopper suggests the decision could pay off with improved matchups in other games.

Also, Miller Park Drunk is excited about Bison Blonde, the new beer at Friday's Front Row designed specifically for eating with buffalo wings. If only the Brewers had a deal like this one: a place named Claim Jumper gives away free wings when the Angels score ten or more runs. The Angels have done that in four straight games.

In other camps:

Angels: John Lackey has been shut down with elbow tightness and may not be ready for Opening Day.
Astros: Miguel Tejada will spend today's off day in Washington being sentenced for lying to Congress. He's expected to receive probation.
Marlins: Traded pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz to the Padres for a PTBNL.
Mets: Released Valerio de los Santos.
Padres: The sale of the team could be finalized as soon as today, and CEO Sandy Alderson is expected to resign when it is.
Rockies: The team is looking to move catcher Yorvit Torrealba and infielder Jeff Baker.
Tigers: Season ticket sales are currently at 15,000, down from 27,000 a year ago.

Sometimes a quote just jumps out at you. Consider, for example, this note from Ken Rosenthal:

Several of (Pedro) Martinez's friends, including the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez, have told him that he needs to be more realistic with his salary desires, sources say.

When Manny Ramirez says you need to be more realistic, you know you're asking for too much.

While I would gladly take a job as an MLB beat writer, there is one high profile job in baseball I definitely don't want: umpiring. Bob Timmerman of Baseball Analysts reviews a new book on the training and lives of umpires.

Oh, and today is a Woot-off day.

Drink up.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:48:46 -0000

Some things to read while not watching soccer.

So, a quick stroll through Rumorville this morning revealed that there's renewed buzz around Mike Cameron, with the Yankees once again rumored to be seeking his services. Tom H. says nothing is imminent right now. Hopefully that'll be the end of it.

Of course, it's also possible Melvin has been too busy to answer the phone: Yesterday he was unable to work out a trade so Eduardo Morlan has been returned to the Rays. (Also noted in FanShot)

He also had to evaluate new Brewer Wes Littleton, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning in his debut. He's probably not the first Brewer to say something like this about his new surroundings:

As for those familiar faces, there were non-roster outfielder Jason Bourgeois and pitcher Sam Narron, who have neighboring lockers and were once teammates of Littleton in the Rangers' farm system.

Or he could just be holding his breath as Ryan Braun tests out his sore intercostal muscle to see if he can take batting practice and/or play in the WBC semifinals. The Brewers get to make the final call, so don't be surprised if Braun is held out.

This one probably didn't take too much time, but I'd assume there was also some paperwork involved in returning Lorenzo Cain, Jonathan Lucroy and Scott Thorman to minor league camp.

Melvin may not have had time to talk to Ken Macha about his decision to try Jason Kendall in the leadoff spot. (Also noted in FanShot) Yes, Kendall takes some pitches and will draw a walk, but Two-Fisted Slopper notes that Weeks actually did both of those things better than Kendall in 2008. The Book blog has another conversation starter on whether any of this matters all that much.

Also, further down in that Journal Sentinel story is a note on Tony Gwynn, who is expected to play in the field for the first time on Saturday. Don't read too much into it, but there may be a note in there about who Macha likes among his outfield candidates:

The other thing is there are two (reserve) outfield spots. You've got four guys there: Nelson, (Trot) Nixon and the other two guys.

Speaking of Nixon, thanks to TheJay for spotting this note on his number change:

Former Tribe outfielder Trot Nixon has an uphill fight to make the Brewers' roster and thought he needed an edge.

Nixon wore No. 3 on the back of his uniform then abruptly changed to 93.

"I'm just trying to shake things up," he said.

Visual evidence of yesterday's game:

A ball snuck through the infield while J.J. Hardy was working on his belly flop.
Mike Cameron and a guy who should really put a shirt on both chase a fly ball - Cameron wins.
Cameron also did his best to break up a double play.
Was Prince Fielder congratulating Corey Hart for yet another spring training home run, or for reaching first base on his knees? We may never know.

After a tumultuous few seasons, it sounds like things have finally settled down in Nashville, with the Sounds getting new ownership and spending $2.5 million renovating Greer Stadium with the hopes of repairing a relationship with the city and fans that has been allowed to deteriorate.

Elsewhere in the minors, former Brewer Callix Crabbe and current farmhands Zelous Wheeler and Maverick Lasker are among the 64 players invited to MLB.com's Moniker Madness tournament.

In other camps:

Dodgers: Released Yhency Brazoban.
Giants: Are reportedly in the market for a backup catcher and relief pitching.
Indians: Former top prospect Adam Miller may require surgery to regain movement in his right middle finger, and could miss the entire 2009 season.
Mets: Have reportedly made an offer to Pedro Martinez.
White Sox: May be scouring the trade market looking for a proven center fielder.

Could the Brewers lose a divisional rival in Arizona? Jealous of new facilities built for the White Sox and Dodgers, the Cubs are threatening to leave Mesa if the city doesn't improve HoHoKam park. Sarasota, Florida is being named as an option.

Of course, when you train in Arizona you get spoiled sometimes, with so many things you don't have to worry about anymore. The Rays training complex in Florida, for example, has wild boars roaming the facility at night.

Being generous is a good thing. Forcing generosity onto others is a different problem: Apparently the Dodgers have decided that all new contracts must include a donation to the Dodgers Dream Foundation. Frank McCourt has set himself up for a bunch of $1 donations.

Last year, the Padres were bad. This year, the Padres may also be bad, but Geoff Young says they'll at least be bad in an interesting way.

Oh, and if you're lobbying at the Capitol and you want to have any kind of success, you probably shouldn't snatch wallets while you're there.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:11:11 -0000

Some things to read while having that dream again.

Coming off an outing yesterday that saw him give up two home runs in an inning and a third, Carlos Villanueva has been called out by management and needs to have a couple of good outings yet this spring to secure his role as Trevor Hoffman's primary set-up man. PocketDoppler thought the timing was a little odd, but isn't reading too much into it.

While the first home run off of Villanueva (hit by Ryan Rohlinger) was inside-the-park, it bounced off a 35 foot high wall 435 feet from home plate, so odds are it would have been a home run in most parks. The second one actually cleared the same fence, which hadn't been done in over a dozen years. Jesus Guzman, who hit the shot, says he'd never hit a ball that far in his life.

Meanwhile, the Brewers made a roster move for the third straight day, claiming reliever Wes Littleton off waivers from the Red Sox and designating Eduardo Morlan for assignment to make room on the roster. (h/t FanShot) The Brewers have until Thursday to work out a deal to keep Morlan or offer him back to Tampa for $25,000, and while the Rays are taking their time to think it over, I can't imagine them deciding to let the Brewers keep a young, talented prospect without getting anything in return.

By the end of spring, the Brewers' trainers will be experts in treating torso injuries: Trevor Hoffman is the latest Brewer to miss time with an oblique strain. (Also noted in FanShot) It's not expected to be serious, and team officials aren't concerned about it affecting Hoffman's preparations for the season. The injury did, however, give Hoffman more time to talk to Scott Miller of CBS Sports about his new home and taking one bite out of entire plates of donuts.

Yes, if you're scoring at home, we've now established that Trevor Hoffman eats two things: donuts and worms.

The outbreak of ribcage injuries in Brewer camp has led Big League Stew to wonder if the McRib should compete in the 2009 Sausage Race.

Finally, Angel Salome is now sidelined indefinitely with back spasms after being removed from Saturday's game. One would have to assume the Brewers will take it slow with his rehab this time, seeing as it's the second occurence.

Visual evidence from yesterday's game:

This photo of Ken Macha must have been taken early in the game, because I doubt he was laughing afterwards.
Another day, another awkward celebration photo: this time it's Alcides Escobar and Trot Nixon.
Nixon was, however, just a few inches away from a great leaping catch in right field.

Trot Nixon has come around a bit in the last week or so of camp, but it might be too little too late to replace Brad Nelson on the roster. Nelson's bat has cooled a bit this week, but he and Chris Duffy are still the most likely candidates to open the season in the two vacant backup outfielder spots.

In the only season preview I have today, Full Count Pitch thinks the Brewers' pitching deficiencies are likely too large to overcome, but projects them to win 80-85 games and finish just out of the playoffs.

Despite that, though, the Brewers are one of the finalists for Sports Business Journal's Professional Sports Team of the Year. The winner will be announced on May 28.

Meanwhile, in other camps:

Astros: Aaron Boone is leaving the team to have heart surgery and may be forced to retire.
A's: Released Rob Bowen.
Padres: Reliever Chris Britton has been informed he won't make the team, and may report to minor league camp or become a free agent.
Phillies: Tests showed no structural damage in Cole Hamels' elbow, but he's still a long shot to be ready for Opening Day.
Rangers: Andruw Jones is unlikely to make the team coming out of spring training and could opt out of his deal as soon as Friday.
Royals: Signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league deal.

Ryan Braun didn't play in the WBC last night, but he will remain with the team following Team USA's walkoff victory, advancing to the semifinals. I'm torn on this: obviously I like seeing Team USA succeed, but I also would have liked to have Braun back in Arizona with the rest of the team.

Corey Koskie made his spring debut for the Cubs yeterday and doubled in his first at bat. It's good to see him complete his recovery.

Teams are always searching far and wide to find the next generation of players, but where will major league baseball find the next generation of umpires? The Padres have an idea, and they're sponsoring a camp for Marines interested in learning the job. I hadn't thought about it before, but the quote in the link is dead-on: Marines are uniquely qualified.

Oh, and former Brewers Rick Helling and Mike Myers are working for the Players Association now.

Drink up.

BP Q&A with Wes Littleton

Adam J. Morris — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:14:05 -0000

BP has a Q&A up with longtime LSB fave Wes Littleton, who, as we all know, was shipped out to Boston earlier this offseason for Beau Vaughan.

A couple of excerpts:

DL: What is the story behind your arm angle?

WL: Two and a half, maybe three years ago, I was having a little trouble with my low arm-angle slot; I was walking a lot of people, so they said, 'let's try dropping you down.' At first they tried me with a submarine delivery, and it worked out for a little bit, but I couldn't quite feel the right release point for it so they moved to like a traditional side-arm guy. Basically, it was just another arm slot from my normal arm slot; I'm like a low three-quarter guy, and now I'm like a little below side-arm. That gives me more sink and more effectiveness against right-handers; I usually get a lot of ground balls. That's how it all happened. It was just a suggestion from the pitching coordinator in Texas, Rick Adair, who I think just went to Seattle. He's the one who made my career what it is right now. Working with him was a pleasure.

* * *

DL: What is it like pitching in Texas?

WL: It's good. The fans get into it. But it's hard too, because you have that right-center gap that blows out. I think the heat takes a big toll out there once you're into the summer. At five o'clock it's like 105 or 103, and at game time it's maybe 95 or 96. So it's a little different, but at the same time it's a good place where you can get warm quick. Overall, it's a good place, because I love their fans and I'll miss them, but coming to Boston it seems like it's crazy, so I'll love it. I'm looking forward to starting a whole new career here and turning another leaf.

Nice to see some love from Wes for the Rangers fans...

Masterson: Sell High?

0157H7 — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:54:49 -0000

Salesman extraordinaire Justin Masterson makes his pitch. via multimedia.heraldinteractive.com

The baseball player market is a tricky economy, but you can still apply some simple financial concepts to it, like the axiom "Buy Low, Sell High." In baseball, this means you trade players at the peak of their perceived value, and acquire them when they are underrated (see Ortiz, David).

When evaluating prospects and young players, you need to look at potential value as well as past performance. For example, Kason Gabbard produced well for the Red Sox in 2007, increasing his perceived value. However, few scouts or other baseball people saw him as anything more than a fringe major league player or a 5th starter. Gabbard was traded as part of the Eric Gagne deal (a strange case in which both teams were selling high on their players). Between injury and regression, Kason didn't impress this year (5.14 FIP, only 56 innings pitched), and the Sox didn't miss him. So let's talk about another player who has raised his value.

Playoff hero, bullpen stalwart - it's tough to imagine Justin Masterson's stock rising any higher. By contrast, it's quite easy to see it fall. As I've previously mentioned, going by FIP and BABIP, Masterson's 2008 debut was rather lucky. There is a fair chance that his performance (runs allowed) will fall into line with his peripherals (balls in play, walks). On the other hand, with improved control, he could become an even better pitcher.

In terms of ceiling, few scouting sources believe he'll be a top of the rotation starter, or a closer. Soxprospects.com writes Masterson could be "a #3 starter or dominant set-up man." John Sickels sees Masterson as a #3 starter if his changeup improves; he also believes Justin has the skills and mentality to close.

Considering his ceiling and his peripherals, I think that Masterson is a good candidate to trade. Among starters, Bowden has about the same ceiling, Buchholz has a higher one, and we still have Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, and Wake. Among relievers, we have Daniel Bard and his overpowering fastball rapidly approaching the majors. More importantly, reliever performance is quite variable from year to year, with dominant set-up men one year being atrocious the next (see Betancourt, Rafael and Balfour, Grant). We already have some good set-up candidates in the pen (Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez, Wes Littleton) so Masterson isn't desperately needed there.

The danger is that we hold on to Masterson, he regresses, and becomes either a mediocre starter or a poor middle reliever. All the value that he accrued this year is lost. Undoubtedly the Red Sox are a good enough team to survive that possibility. But if Masterson can bring a great return now, like the catcher of the future, then I would definitely go for it.

What do you think? Is it time for the Red Sox to cash in? Should we sell high on Masterson, or should we hold on to him?

Poll

What Masterson move would you make?

Buy. Masterson has explosive stuff and great flexibility. We should keep him long-term.

93 votes

Hold. Keep Masterson for at least another year, though consider trading him if he becomes even better.

51 votes

Sell. Trade him now, but only for good value.

91 votes

Package Justin Masterson with Julio Lugo and Mike Timlin in player-backed securities. Sell securities to unwary and overleveraged banks. Watch as securities lose value and institutions collapse. Demand government bailout. Rinse and repeat.

30 votes

265 votes | Poll has closed