SB Nation - Zach Jackson

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:30:33 -0000

by Jim Prisching - AP

Jeff Suppan reacts after walking in three runs during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cubs. Searching for someone who will take his contract could be one of the Brewers' focal points this week.

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Some things to read while the blue socks tie your look together.

All eyes turn to Indianapolis this week, as the Winter Meetings start today. While there, Brewer management would most likely jump at any chance to unload the contract of Jeff Suppan. Tom H. floated the idea of a Suppan-for-Juan Pierre deal, while Jorge Says No! wonders if Jeff Suppan and prospects for Gil Meche makes sense (Also noted in Rumorville). For whatever it's worth, the Meche deal is probably unlikely unless one of the Brewers' top prospects is involved. Apparently the Mets have also contacted the Royals to ask about him.

Other pre-meeting buzz:

Tom H. has a winter meeting preview with some stuff you've heard before and a Doug Melvin complaint about cost uncertainty.
Steve Henson of Yahoo says the Brewers are more likely to look for free agents than trades to fill the gaps in their rotation and bench.
Adam McCalvy has a look at some of the prospects that could be mentioned if the Brewers decide to make a deal, but acknowledges the fact that the Brewers don't have the organizational depth to make a major splash via that route.
Apparently Edwin Jackson, one trade candidate the Brewers have expressed interest in, could find a new home soon.
Meanwhile, Yahoo is reporting that multiple teams are interested in Doug Davis, but the only candidate they're naming at this point is the Crew.

If you weren't around over the weekend, Noah did a great job in the weekend Mug of covering reaction to the Gregg Zaun deal. Here are a few more nuggets on Zaun I spotted this morning:

Adam McCalvy tweeted that Zaun's deal includes $600,000 in incentives tied to games started, which could push the total guaranteed value up to $2.75 million if Ken Macha is unwilling to let one of the young guys play.
Fire Doug Melvin is not excited about the decision to guarantee Zaun the starting job.

The Zaun move inspired Casa de Machado to throw in the towel for 2010, complete with this quote:

I think are chances in 2010 are slim to none.

It's like this picture and The Iron Sheik's Twitter all rolled in to one. (h/t to the Former Hacks for the Sheik link)

I know at least some of you attended the Brewer Clubhouse Sale over the weekend. Did you find anything good? Did you show up in this WISN story?

Just one transaction note today:

Indians: Signed former Twin Brian Buscher to a minor league deal.

Some free agent deals might get done at the Winter Meetings this week, but don't expect John Lackey to be one of them: Lackey is believed to be seeking $17 million+ per year for at least six years, and it'll take some time for his price to fall back into a range that isn't laughable.

Six years and $102 million would probably earn Lackey honorable mention on Big League Stew's list of the worst ten contracts of the 2000s. Click that link if you'd like to feel better about the Brewer tenure of Doug Melvin: All ten contracts mentioned are clearly worse than Jeff Suppan's deal.

Looking for a buy-low rotation candidate? Diamond Notes mentions the Dodgers are expected to have interest in Chien-Ming Wang, when/if the Yankees announce their decision to non-tender him for next season. Assuming the price is right, one would think the Brewers might be interested too.

Speaking of the Dodgers, they're continuing to cut costs by attempting to deal George Sherrill.

On this day in 2005, the Brewers traded Lyle Overbay (along with Ty Taubenheim) to the Blue Jays for David Bush, Gabe Gross and Zach Jackson, clearing the way for Prince Fielder to take over at first base in 2006. Overbay has hit .275/.356/.449 over four seasons as a Blue Jay.

On this day in 2007, the Brewers acquired Salomon Torres from the Pirates for two minor leaguers. Torres posted a 3.49 ERA and saved 28 games for the 2008 Brewers.

Happy birthday today to Jim Austin, who posted a 3.06 ERA while making 83 relief appearances as a Brewer between 1991 and 1993, and turns 46.

Oh, and it looks like winter is now upon us, so it may be time to bust out the solar powered hat and gloves. Or just stay home and watch the Pride and Prejudice with Zombies miniseries. (h/t C. Trent Rosecrans)

Drink up.

A Tale of Two Lefties: Clifton Phifer Lee v. Carsten Charles Sabathia

David S. Cohen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:41:16 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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Tomorrow night, Cliff Lee will face CC Sabathia in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. It's possible that the two lefties will face each other two more times over the course of the possible seven game series, as each manager has indicated that his ace lefty could pitch Games 1, 4, and 7 (if necessary).

The two aces share a lot in common besides both being lefties. Both were initially drafted in the 1998 amateur draft, Sabathia by the Indians and Lee by the Orioles. Sabathia was a first round pick who quickly signed. Lee, a twentieth round pick, did not sign, re-entering the draft in 2000 when he was drafted by the Expos. In 2002, before he had reached the majors, he was traded to the Indians as part of a package in the Bartolo Colon deadline deal.

Until 2008, both Lee and Sabathia spent their major league careers as Indians, with Sabathia being the better pitcher, although not by much. From 2001 through mid-2008, Sabathia was 106-71 with a 3.83 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 116 ERA+ over 1528 innings. From 2002 through mid-2009, Lee was 83-48 for the Indians with a 4.01 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 110 ERA+ over 1117 innings.

Even though Sabathia had the better career as an Indian, Lee's peak was better. The two won back-to-back Cy Young Awards as Indians, but Lee had the better Cy Young season. In 2007, Sabathia went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA over 241 innings. His ERA+ was 143 and his WARP3 was 7.2. In Lee's 2008 Cy Young season, he went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA over 223.1 innings. His ERA+ was 175 with a WARP3 of 8.6.

Both Sabathia and Lee were traded in blockbuster mid-season trades that netted the Indians a good portion of a future lineup and rotation. The Indians got Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, and Zach Jackson from the Brewers for Sabathia in July 2008. A year later, they got Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, and Jason Donald from the Phillies for Lee. Both players were then key cogs in getting their new team to the post-season, with Sabathia coming in fifth place in the NL Cy Young voting for his half-year of work for the Brewers and Cliff Lee anchoring an until-then shaky Phillies rotation in the second half of their third-in-a-row NL East championship season.

Both players have been excellent so far this post-season. They've both pitched 3 games, allowed 4 runs, and have a 20:3 strikeout to walk ratio. The big difference, if you can call it big, is that Lee has pitched more innings (24.1 to Sabathia's 22.2), and has allowed fewer earned runs (2 to Sabathia's 3). Thus, Lee has an eye-popping 0.74 ERA compared to Sabathia's merely gaudy 1.19 ERA.

So what can we expect from these two in this series? Both have faltered in their career against the opposing team. In 9 career starts, Lee has a 4-4 record against the Yankees, posting a 5.02 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and 39:18 strikeout to walk ratio. In 4 career starts against the Phillies (including the post-season), Sabathia has a 1-2 record with a 5.55 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and 17:8 strikeout to walk ratio.

Looking to splits, both pitchers have been better against right-handed hitters over their entire careers, although not drastically so. For Sabathia, he has given up a .694 OPS to righties and .647 OPS to lefties. For Lee, he has given up a .733 OPS to righties and .714 to lefties. This year, however, it has been much more drastic for both pitchers. For Sabathia, .681 for righties and .560 for lefties. For Lee, .734 for righties and .583 for lefties. Both teams' lefties should struggle against these pitchers.

At the new Yankee Stadium, both pitchers have done well this year, although with Cliff Lee having a very small sample size, of course. Sabathia pitched 15 games during the regular season and had a 3.17 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Lee won the 1 game he pitched there this year, letting up 1 earned run in 6 innings, for a 1.50 ERA but a 1.67 WHIP. At CBP, Lee was 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. ~~Sabathia hasn't pitched in Philadelphia yet in his career.~~ [EDIT: Sabathia has pitched one post-season game at CBP and no regular season games. In that one game, he took the loss and had a 12.27 ERA, 3+ WHIP, and a 5:4 strikeout to walk ratio. Clearly not good at all, the "small sample size" bell should be ringing loud and clear.]

Finally, how have the two done against the individual hitters in the opposing lineups? Having been in the AL, Lee has a much longer track record against the Yankees' hitters and many have fared very well against him. Only Raul Ibanez has seen Sabathia a significant number of times, although in limited at-bats the top of the Phillies lineup has dominated Sabathia. (The numbers here include post-season plate appearances.)

	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Victorino	10	0.556	0.600	1.000	1.600
Rollins	14	0.385	0.429	0.769	1.198
Ibanez	43	0.275	0.326	0.525	0.851
Ruiz	5	0.400	0.400	0.400	0.800
Howard	9	0.333	0.333	0.444	0.777
Werth	8	0.250	0.250	0.500	0.750
Francisco	6	0.200	0.333	0.400	0.733
Feliz	8	0.125	0.125	0.250	0.375
Utley	6	0.000	0.167	0.000	0.167

	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Rodriguez	20	0.333	0.450	0.733	1.183
Teixeira	26	0.391	0.462	0.696	1.158
Jeter	30	0.407	0.467	0.519	0.986
Posada	22	0.286	0.273	0.667	0.940
Swisher	24	0.333	0.458	0.444	0.902
Cabrera	12	0.273	0.333	0.545	0.878
Matsui	19	0.294	0.368	0.412	0.780
Cano	19	0.222	0.263	0.222	0.485
Damon	23	0.091	0.130	0.091	0.221

With the track record for these two aces being so close, the best prediction is that the games they pitch should be close battles, at least as long as the starters stay in the game.

The only clear loser here is the Cleveland Indians.

Pitcher Purgatory

afh4 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:38:10 -0000

As always, click on the panels for larger images.

Minor League Overview: The Pitchers

APV — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:42:05 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

New Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is part of newly strengthened system-wide pitching depth

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UPDATE: I've added in Price, Hagadone and the 2007 seasons for Chris Perez and Justin Masterson, the last full season of minor league action they both saw.

I haven't done a full system recap since the end of April, so we are definitely overdue for one, even before the trading deadline movements. In this installment, I'll highlight some of the pitching performances so far this season.

Progress Score Leaders

Hector Rondon: 6.78
Jesse Todd: 6.23
Jeanmar Gomez: 5.11
Alexander Perez: 3.66
Justin Masterson07: 3.13
Nick Hagaone: 2.84
Zach Putnam: 2.23
Jason Knapp: 1.85
Josh Judy: 1.81
Steve Smith: 1.34
Carlos Carrasco: 1.04
TJ House: 0.41

A few notes on these numbers. First, since PS takes into account games started, at this point in the season starters numbers are somewhat disadvantaged relative to relievers. For example, Hector Rondon's 6.78 is a fine score, but if you project his 17 starts to 26 starts the number goes up to an even better 8.58. Carrasco had a mid-6 score last season. Knapp and Scott Barnes also had very high (6+) scores last season, albeit in limited playing time. Kelvin De La Cruz only had 2 starts this season before being shut down, but in those two starts he put up a 12.19 progress score...obviously likely would have come down when his 42% K-rate and nearly 10:1 K:BB rate moved to more realistic numbers.

NET Leaders

Hector Rondon: 48
Jason Knapp: 45
Scott Barnes: 39
Jesse Todd: 34
Zach Putnam: 33
Steve Smith: 31
Ryan Edell: 31
Eric Berger: 30
Santo Frias: 28
Justin Masterson: 27
Alexander Perez/CC Lee: 25

It should be clear that Hector Rondon is having a good season and now, just a step away at AAA Columbus, is arguably our top pitching prospect. These scores seem to give a better view of what the front office sees in Knapp and Barnes. I also think Putnam will be an interesting guy to follow, maybe turning into a cheap version of Bob Howry by late 2010 or 2011.

K/PA (%) Leaders

Chris Perez07: 33.5
Jason Knapp: 30.9
Nick Hagadone: 30.5
Jesse Todd: 29.6
Steve Smith: 29.6
Santo Frias: 29.4
Josh Judy: 28.3
C.C. Lee: 25.5
Hector Rondon: 25.4
Ryan Edell: 25.0
Connor Graham: 24.9
Matt Langwell: 23.7

Not surprisingly this is a reliever-dominated list (although Knapp's spot on the top is striking...and who knew Edell was showing such nice K-rates this year). Other starters above 20% include Bryan Price (23.2), Bryce Stowell (22.7), Eric Berger (22.4), Carlos Carrasco (22.4), Alexander Perez (21.9), and Scott Barnes (21.7). I don't really think Steve Smith is much of a prospect (he's old), but he probably should be pitching someplace higher than Lake County. I still have hope in Santo Frias who was derailed by injury last season and converted to the bullpen.

BB/PA (%)

Josh Tomlin: 4.1
Russell Young: 4.2
Steve Smith: 4.3
Frank Herrmann: 4.7
Hector Rondon: 5.2
Ryan Edell: 5.6
Paolo Espino: 5.6
Justin Masterson07: 6.2
Kyle Landis: 6.4
Jesse Todd: 6.5
Zach Putnam: 6.5

Rondon, Edell, Todd, Putnam...And in case you were wondering who has the best K:BB ratio, it is Steve Smith (6.88), Hector Rondon (4.88), Josh Tomlin (4.88), Jesse Todd (4.55) and Ryan Edell (4.46).

GB%

Nick Hagaone: 70%
Travis Turek: 64%
Russell Young: 60%
Justin Masterson07: 59%
Chris Jones: 58%
Carlton Smith: 57%
Trey Haley: 56%
TJ McFarland: 55%
Zach Putnam/Josh Judy/Connor Graham/Neil Wagner/Jon Holt: 54%

Jeanmar Gomez, TJ House and Zach Jackson are right off this list at 51%. Carlton Smith is doing better in Akron than his brother Corey ever did.

The Movers:

Moving up...

Jeanmar Gomez has had a great season, and not just because of his no-hitter. He's improved his K-rate, BB-rate, GB-rate, and HR-rate, all while advancing from A+ to AA. There are still lots of questions about how he'll perform against higher competition and the quality of his "stuff", but he has without a doubt had a very good season.

Hector Rondon has also had a great season, improving his K, BB, and HR numbers while advancing within spitting distance of Cleveland. While Gomez has improved the view of his ceiling, Rondon has more maintained his position but by moving closer to Cleveland and not stumbling has made the attainment of that ceiling more likely.

Alexander Perez is making the most of his first full season and seems to be at the head of the young, low-A pitchers.

Chuck Lofgren's year has been an improvement, if only because he is actually pitching and throwing strikes. He is far from being the impact guy he once looked like, but he now looks like he might be able to fill a depth starter role in the future. Similarly, Ryan Edell is not a great prospect, but he's had a good year and looks to be an emergency rotation fill-in sometime in 2010 or 2011.

Zach Putnam is having a good, if somewhat uneven (in part reflecting his movement from the rotation to the pen) full-season debut. (ed. note: but Cleveland never drafts the right guys or promotes them aggressively!)

Moving down...

Kelvin De La Cruz and Joey Mahalic were both off to great starts before getting injured. Those injuries trump their great starts.

Trey Haley, Danny Salazar and Bryce Stowell haven't had good seasons. Stowell has had control issues, Salazar hasn't been missing enough bats (which at low-A isn't good), and Haley has had trouble with just about everything (0.6 K:BB !).

Our pitchers who have taken the biggest blows this year are, of course, the guys who have pitched in Cleveland. SLewis's injury problems make him an uncertainty. Huff hasn't been what he was last year. Raffy and Jensen Lewis can lose, it turns out. Carmona...

Final Thought

We have a lot of interesting young pitchers, many of whom are floating around Mahoning Valley and Goodyear, whose rosters I did not cover here. But one of the things I noticed is that, especially the way this season has shredded some of our upper minors pitching depth, the recent acquisition of guys like Barnes, Graham, Knapp and Carrasco really do a lot to fill out our pitching depth. This isn't to say we don't have interesting guys on pretty much all our full roster teams, but with the new pitchers we have multiple potential impact pitchers on each team, which is a much more reassuring position going forward.

Lazy Saturday Ex-Brewers Update

TheJay — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:15:07 -0000

On this "unseasonably cool" (a.k.a. comfortable) Saturday in Wisconsin, why not take a look at the way 2009 is going for some Brewers who got away. I could post about guys like Anthony Gwynn, Gabe Kapler, Gabe Gross, and Russell Branyan in the majors, but I want to focus on some of the lesser lights:

Chris Barnwell

Barnwell, called up to Milwaukee for one month in 2006, spent 2008 in Albuquerque for the Marlins and also plays for Team Canada. This year, he started in Houston before being traded to Pittsburgh for sunflower seeds. He's struggled at AAA Indianapolis, hitting just .149/.220/.201 in 172 plate appearances while playing everywhere but behind the plate and on the mound.
Joe Bateman

Ex-Brewers don't retire, they just wind up in Tampa. Bateman is another name to add to the list as he's been plying his trade for AAA Durham. A 29-year-old righty who finally made it to AAA last year while pitching well at every level of the minors, Bateman was picked in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft and went 3-1 with a 2.09 ERA between Huntsville and Nashville last year. This year he has struggled with control, walking 5.6 batters per nine innings, twice his career rate. He's still striking out one guy each inning but all the extra baserunners have his ERA sitting at 4.08 in 35 innings. He has appeared in 26 games and is 4-1 with a save.
Michael Brantley

The player to be named later in the Sabathia trade, center fielder Brantley was an on-base machine in the minors for the Brewers. He hit .319/.395/.398 last year for AA Huntsville at the tender age of 21. This year he's manned the outfield for AAA Columbus. He's hitting .268/.349/.353 with 33 stolen bases (4 CS!). Even if the slash stats aren't eye-popping, a 22-year-old with speed who walks more than he strikes out in AAA is a pretty good PTBNL.
Callix Crabbe

The former third-best second base prospect in the Brewers system (behind Rickie Weeks and Hernan Iribarren) made the majors last year as a Rule 5 pick in San Diego. The diminuitive switch-hitter, listed at 5'7", went 6 for 34 in one month for the Padres while making 3 errors in five games at the keystone. He was offered back to the Brewers and the team accepted, assigning him to Nashville. Jack Zduriencik in Seattle edged out Tampa for Crabbe's services in 2009. Crabbe hasn't done well at AAA Tacoma, though, hitting just .212/.311/.332.

Follow the jump for more!

Joe Dillon

Joltin' Joe spent a season and a month in the Brewers' versatile 25th man role. He did better than you can expect the last guy on the bench to do, putting up a .278/.363/.397 line in 172 Brewers plate appearances. Now 33, he was claimed by the Athletics last winter and traded to Tampa after missing the first month of the season with a back injury. He played in twelve games for Durham before getting called up to the Rays. He's hit .320 in 12 games over six weeks, playing the last bat on the bench and emergency catcher role so popular among AL squads.
Steve Hammond

The Brewers' 6th round pick in the 2005 draft, 27-year-old LHP Hammond worked his way up to AAA Nashville. He struggled mightily in four starts for the Sounds, but went 7-4 with a 3.45 ERA in fifteen starts at Huntsville. He was part of the Ray Durham trade and has not found much success at AAA in the San Francisco organization either. In 19 appearances this year, he is 6-8 with a 5.44 ERA and 1.49 WHIP.
Will Inman

The biggest piece traded away in 2007's Scott Linebrink deadline deal, Inman started out a 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft. Like Brantley, he has made it to AAA at the age of 22. Unlike Brantley, it took some good numbers at AA this year to get him there. In 44 1/3 innings at AA, Inman struck out 36 and walked 8, good for a 3.05 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Things haven't gone as smoothly at AAA Portland. In 11 starts, Inman has lasted only 60 innings, walking 22 against 36 strikeouts. He has been hittable as well, surrendering 76 base knocks. All of that adds up to a 6.15 ERA and WHIP the wrong side of 1.60.
Zach Jackson

Acquired from Toronto with Dave Bush and Gabe Gross for Lyle Overbay and Ty Taubenheim, Jackson was part of the 2006 Parade of Pitchers. He was pretty well battered in seven starts and didn't appear again in the majors until 2008. He appeared in two forgettable games for the Brewers last year before being traded to Cleveland as part of the CC Sabathia package. He struggled in nine starts for the Indians last year and hasn't done any better this year. His ERA and WHIP in three major leage games sits on the wrong side of 9 and 2, respectively, and he owns a 5.71 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 69 1/3 innings at AAA.
Brad Nelson

After seven years in the minors and running the gamut from top prospect status to bust and back, Nelson made the Opening Day roster this year. He could never get going, however, and was dropped in mid-May after going 0 for 21 with two walks. Rather than being sent outright to Nashville, he chose free agency and was snapped up by Jack Zduriencik in Seattle. Things have improved for him in Tacoma, but not greatly as he's hitting only .255/.318/.416 with 6 home runs in 151 plate appearances.
Mel Stocker

Called up to the Brewers in late 2007 mostly due to Anthony Gwynn's hamstrings' impeccable sense of timing. The speed demon batted only three times in Milwaukee but swiped four bases as a pinch-runner. Never a great hitter, he has spent 2009 playing for the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, Seattle's AA affiliate. He's put up an unimpressive .235/.336/.348 line in 65 games but has stolen 23 bags in 25 tries.
Lou Palmisano

I wrecked the alphabetical order with this one, but that's okay. "Cap'n Lou" Palmisano was drafted by the Brewers in the third round of the 2003 draft. He had a pretty good campaign for Huntsville in 2007, rapping out a .256/.368/.419 line. Unfortunately, torn cartilege in his left knee required surgery in the spring of 2008, putting his whole season in jeopardy. He did come back as a designated hitter in the low minors late in the year, hitting .297 against the lower-level competition, still impressive coming back from a knee injury. Having been designated for assignment in September, he was eligible for the Rule 5 draft and was snapped up by Houston via Baltimore. He lasted in Houston's major league camp until March 23. He didn't play in the minors before being released in May. Out of affiliated baseball, he signed on with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association. He hit .257 with six RBI in 25 games before requesting a trade and being shipped to the Pensacola Pelicans. In Pensacola he has gone 7 for 37 with eight walks, giving him a strange overall line of .234/.422/.279 in 111 at bats. Going from major league spring training to the independant leagues in two months is a pretty steep fall and I wish him the best of luck.

MLB Trade Rumors: Is Roy Halladay Really Worth Two A-Level Prospects??

raygu — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:15:19 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

5 months ago: American League's Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during the first inning of the MLB All-Star baseball game in St. Louis, Tuesday, July 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Everyone knows what the price tag is going to be for Roy Halladay. We have heard it would take at least two A-level prospects along with a couple B-level prospects. The team that trades for Halladay gets him for this year and all of next year. Is that really worth two A-level prospects?

Last season the Milwaukee Brewers traded their top prospect, Matt Laporta, along with 3 other prospects for CC Sabathia. Here is the deal the Brewers made, per MLB.com:

In addition to LaPorta, a former first-round Draft pick and a fabulous power hitter at Double-A Huntsville, the Brewers gave up Triple-A left-hander Zach Jackson, Class A right-hander Rob Bryson and a player to be named later. According to reports, that player could be reigning Brewers Minor League player of the year Taylor Green, a Class A third baseman.

Laportta was the A-level prospect the Indians received in the deal, while the other 3 prospects aren't doing so hot. Jackson is pitching at AAA Columbus with a 3-7 record, a 5.71 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP, with a 47/25 K/BB ratio. I could not find stats for Rob Bryson on any of the Indians minor league teams. Also, it appears Green was not part of the deal.

Anyway, my point is that 3 months of CC Sabathia cost the Brewers their top prospect plus a few marginal minor league pitchers. Does that mean that a year and a half od Roy Halladay is worth two top prospects, especially when you consider his 2010 salary of around $15 million in the current economic environment where teams are dealing with dropping attendance figures?

I am beginning to think that Halladay will be had for less than two top prospects. What do you think?

Poll

Will the Blue Jays get two A-level prospects for Roy Halladay?

Yes, he is worth it.

300 votes

No, not when you factor in his salary for next season.

170 votes

470 votes | Poll has closed

Transactions: The Rotation Crumbles

Ryan — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:05:20 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

A week's worth of roster tinkering ended on a hopeful note with the return of Rafael Perez to the bullpen.

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The Indians went almost a week (The 17th to the 23rd) without making a move. During that time, the bullpen started to right itself, with the only ongoing problem seeming to be the last two spots in the rotation (then held by Anthony Reyes and David Huff). Unfortunately, after last Saturday's game in Cincinnati, more major changes to the pitching staff were in order.

5-23-09

Placed RHP Anthony Reyes on the 15-Day Disabled List (right elbow)

Reyes started last Saturday's game, but had to leave after the third inning because of pain in his throwing elbow. Reyes had struggled to throw strikes in his brief time on the mound that day, and it was because of injury. After having the elbow looked at, the team physician recommended ulnar nerve transposition, which would move the ulnar nerve in his right elbow from its present location in the back of the elbow joint to the front so that it would no longer rub against the bone. If he had the surgery, he would be out of action anywhere from four to six months, which meant he wouldn't be available at all this season.

So who would fill this rotation spot? The easy answer, for at least a couple innings, was Aaron Laffey, who had been moved from the rotation to the bullpen not because he had been pitching poorly but because the Indians desparately needed some help in relief.

Placed LHP Aaron Laffey on the 15-Day Disabled List (right oblique)

Laffey injured himself later in that game in Cincinnati after throwing a pitch. There's no surgery needed, but the recovery period is 4-6 weeks, and meant that the Indians would have four starting pitchers on the DL for at least one month. Jake Westbrook, who has been recovering from Tommy John Surgery, will probably be the first starter of the quartet (Reyes, Laffey, Westbrook, and Scott Lewis) to return to the rotation, and that probably won't be until the end of this month. So the eight starters the Indians had at the beginning of the season (with Westbrook being the ninth) was whittled down to five.

Recalled LHP Jeremy Sowers from Columbus (AAA)

Sowers was recalled right away to give the Indians some long relief if one of their other starters would have a short start. Sowers had started two games earlier in the season, but didn't last past the fifth in either of them. He had pitched very well in AAA in between major-league stints, but hasn't had major-league success since his debut in 2006. In 290.2 major-league innings, he's struck out 4.0 batters per nine innings, and even in his good season wasn't missing many bats.

Recalled LHP Rich Rundles from Columbus (AAA)

Rundles had been up briefly with the team earlier in the season, but hadn't got in a game. If he's still with the team after all the dust clears, he might work his way into a LOOGY role as the second left-hander in the bullpen. But this time he was recalled with the same purpose as the previous time: as an emergency reserve.

5-26-09

Optioned OF Matt LaPorta to Columbus (AAA)

Recalled OF Trevor Crowe from Columbus (AAA)

LaPorta wasn't getting to play regularly, even with Travis Hafner on the Disabled List, because Grady Sizemore couldn't play the field because of a sore throwing elbow. Also, in a roundabout way, Luis Valbuena's success was reducing his playing time, since more at-bats for Valbuena meant more games at third base for Jhonny Peralta, which meant more games in the outfield for Mark DeRosa. And Matt hadn't helped his cause by struggling in his sporadic major-league at-bats. So, he was sent back to AAA to "play every day."

With Sizemore not going to the DL, or days away from heading there, the Indians needed someone who could play a competant center field. Ben Francisco can certainly fill in there from time to time, but his range isn't good enough to play at the position for any tangible length of time. That should mean Crowe will get regular playing time until Grady's elbow is sound enough to make the throw from the outfield. Trevor, in his time with the Clippers, hit an anemic .230/.321/.297, so the Indians lineup will suffer with him in it.

5-27-09

Recalled LHP Zach Jackson from Columbus (AAA)

Optioned LHP Rich Rundles to Columbus (AAA)

The Indians, because they had to use Sowers in long relief the night before, recalled Jackson to start this past Tuesday's game agains the Rays. I don't think the arrangement was intended to be permanent, but Jackson confirmed his temporary status by giving up five runs in the first inning. The Indians ended up winning the game, but no thanks to Jackson, who left after four innings.

5-28-09

Transferred RHP Anthony Reyes from the 15-Day Disabled List to the 60-Day Disabled List (right elbow)

Optioned LHP Zach Jackson to Columbus (AAA)

Purchased the Contract of Tomo Ohka and Recalled him from Columbus (AAA)

These machinations were to yet again add another stopgap arm to the bullpen. Ohka doesn't have the stuff to start anymore, but I suppose he can serve as a longman for now. With "now" meaning the next week.

5-29-09

Designated OF David Dellucci for Assignment

Recalled LHP Rafael Perez from Columbus (AAA)

Dellucci had begun the season on the Disabled List, and never worked his way into regular playing time even though the DH was available. He first lost at-bats to Matt LaPorta, then to Grady Sizemore and Mark DeRosa, who was getting more starts in left field. At this stage in his career, he's a liability even in left, and hasn't provided enough run production to justify being used as a DH. A team desperate for outfield help (Atlanta?) or for a pinch-hitter should have an interest in him.

Rafael Perez spent his time in Columbus productively, for it looks like he's solved whatever mechanical problems that plagued him the first couple weeks of the season. His return should further strengthen a bullpen already showing progress in the past couple weeks.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:45:24 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

This is not Seth McClung.

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Some things to read while eliminating your accomplishments.

Last year it was C.C. Sabathia, and in 2009 Trevor Hoffman is filling the role of well-known player who brings national attention to Milwaukee. Hoffman was profiled in the New York Times this week, discussing life in Milwaukee (or in his case, his lack thereof) and his impact on the bullpen.

One of the pitchers Hoffman has helped is Todd Coffey, but he apparently hasn't found a way to help fans tell the difference between Coffey and Seth McClung.

Maybe a new haircut would help. Mark DiFelice is the man for the job.

Adam McCalvy's new ~~mailbag~~ inbox is up, and features notes on Chris Capuano, Alcides Escobar, Geoff Jenkins, Jake Peavy, Jorge Julio and Ryan Braun.

Another homestand, another ghost story: This week, Cardinals SS Brendan Ryan reported some paranormal activity at the Pfister Hotel, but later recanted the story. Tony LaRussa says the ghosts are good friends.

Not everyone made friends in Milwaukee this week. Cute Sports has the video of Jason LaRue narrowly avoiding getting trampled by sausages.

"Sausage tramplings" were probably not among the criteria considered when the Brewers were nominated for SportsBusiness Journal's Professional Franchise of the Year.

Frank Catalanotto has already done a fair amount to endear himself to the fans in Milwaukee, but Beyond the Box Score lists him among 23 players who have seen significant big league time despite being below replacement level.

The Journal Sentinel has added a searchable, sortable database of every Brewer home run in the Miller Park era. I haven't had a chance to go take a look at it yet, but I'm glad they're making the effort. Baseball Reference also recently added a database of every home run in major league history.

Down in the minors, Cole Gillespie, BCB's #10 prospect, is struggling a bit with the adjustment to AAA. Gillespie is hitting .212/.342/.323 in Nashville and At The Old Ball Game is calling for his head.

Just one power ranking to report today: Yahoo has bumped the Crew down from sixth to seventh.

Around baseball:

Dodgers: Placed Will Ohman on the DL.
Phillies: Brett Myers has fraying in the labrum in his hip that will likely require surgery and cost him the rest of 2009.

As you've probably heard (and as noted in the comments in yesterday's Mug), Carlos Zambrano has been suspended for six games for making contact with an umpire and generally making a scene earlier this week. Jorge Says No! says six games wasn't enough. The Chicago Tribune is reporting Zambrano won't skip a start, and will instead be pushed back two days.

Elsewhere in transactions, it was a rare "coming and going" day for former Brewers in Cleveland, as Zach Jackson was sent to AAA and replaced by Tomo Ohka.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic wants D-Backs third baseman Mark Reynolds to be in the Home Run Derby this year, citing the entertainment value of watching Reynolds hit massive home runs. That got me thinking: while the Home Run Derby is fun as it is, I'd probably be more likely to watch it if the rules were changed, and hitters were looking to hit the longest home run, instead of the most. Imagine Mark Reynolds, Prince Fielder, Russell Branyan and the like competing to see who can be the first to launch one out of Busch Stadium. I'd watch it.

Speaking of Branyan, since moving into a full-time role in Seattle he's hitting over .300 and striking out less, and Lookout Landing is pretty excited about it.

Looking to make a list of players who might be available in the trade market? MLB Trade Rumors has a list of eleven teams whose postseason chances have fallen below 10%. BP's PECOTA-adjusted projection gives the Brewers a 38% chance at winning the Central, higher than any other team.

Roy Halladay is old school. On Wednesday, he pitched seven full innings in his eleventh consecutive start, tied for the fifteenth longest streak to start a season since 1954. Among the others with 11 are former Brewers Bill Wegman, Chris Bosio and Jerry Augustine, and legendary Milwaukee Brave Warren Spahn.

A few weeks ago, Jeff previewed the D3 World Series in Appleton. He was joined in attendance by Kirbir, who live tweeted the event and made it the focus of her Pictures of the Week post. Now, Jeff has a review of the event, and a look at how his prediction models fared.

Here's a cool feel-good story: Rock band They Might Be Giants is sponsoring a little league team in Seattle. (h/t C. Trent Rosecrans.)

Oh, and happy birthday to Charlie Hayes, who played for the 2000 Brewers and turns 44 today.

Drink up.

Game 48: Indians 12, Rays 7

Ryan — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:19:50 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

A publicity photo from the long-awaited sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."

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Last season, when the Indians were playing their worst leading up towards the All-Star Break, the Rays came to town the surprise leader of the AL East. The Indians swept the four-game series, and had an excellent second half. This season, the Rays came to town with the Indians in a similar circumstance. The Tribe rotation was in shambles, and a couple innings into the first game of the series, hit a new low, as Fausto Carmona flamed out early. But somehow there seems to be some supernatural force at work preventing the Indians from losing to the Rays at home no matter how dire the circumstances might be.

Tonight, again, the game started out badly. Starter Zach Jackson gave up five runs in the first inning, and would be out of the game after the fourth inning. But the Indians quickly hit their way out of the early hole, and chased Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine in three innings. The offense continued to add runs against the back end of Tampa's bullpen, and they continued to get decent innings from the likes of Greg Aquino and Luis Vizcaino, who together saved the rest of the bullpen by pitching the final five innings of the game.

The Indians aren't exactly playing good baseball, but they're now the proud owners of a three-game winning streak for the first time all season.They've now won an incredible 16 straight game against the Rays at home; their last lost to Tampa Bay at Jacobs/Progressive Field came against Seth McClung in the last week of 2005.

via www.fangraphs.com

Highest WPA		Lowest WPA
Ben Francisco	.236	Zach Jackson	-.441
Jamey Carroll	.170	Mark DeRosa	-.002
Ryan Garko	.128

The Milwaukee Brewers' Last Trade With Each Team

TheJay — Sat, 09 May 2009 15:48:24 -0000

More photos » by H. Rumph Jr - AP

A long time ago, in a league 98 miles away, this guy was part of the Brewers' last trade with the Yankees.

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One of my favorite parts of each year's team media guide is the page listing the Brewers' last trade with all the other major league teams. Maybe it's because it's so esoteric, maybe it's because of all the "some-team-wanted-him?" thoughts it prompts, or maybe it's the idea that for years Brewers and Mariners management had a bitter blood feud getting in the way of amicable trading. I don't know. Either way, let's take a trip down memory lane, transaction-style:

(note: PTBNL below stands for "Player to be Named Later," defined here)

The Milwaukee Brewers' Last Trade With...

Arizona Diamondbacks - 11/25/2006
Traded LHP Doug Davis, LHP Dana Eveland, and OF Dave Krynzel for C Johnny Estrada, RHP Claudio Vargas, and RHP Greg Aquino
Atlanta Braves - 12/7/2005
Traded RHP Wes Obermueller for RHP Dan Kolb
Chicago Cubs - 8/31/2004
Traded OF Ben Grieve for LHP Andy Pratt and cash
Cincinnati Reds - 1/14/2000
Traded OF Alex Ochoa for OF Mark Sweeney and a PTBNL (RHP Gene Altman)
Colorado Rockies - 12/13/2004
Traded RHP Marcos Carvajal in exchange for cash
Florida Marlins - 11/25/1996
Traded RHP Eddie Collins for LHP Joel Adamson
Houston Astros - 9/11/2007
Traded RHP Dennis Sarfate for cash
Los Angeles Dodgers - 3/26/2007
Traded OF Brady Clark and cash for RHP Elmer Dessens
New York Mets - 11/20/2007
Traded C Johnny Estrada for RHP Guillermo Mota
Philadelphia Phillies - 7/28/2006
Traded RHP Wilfrido Laureano for 3B David Bell
Pittsburgh Pirates - 12/7/2007
Traded RHP Marino Salas and RHP Kevin Roberts for RHP Salomon Torres
St. Louis Cardinals - 8/22/2003
Traded RHP Mike DeJean for two PTBNL (RHP Mike Crudale and RHP John Novinsky)
San Diego Padres - 7/25/2007
Traded LHP Joe Thatcher, RHP Will Inman, and LHP Steve Garrison for RHP Scott Linebrink
San Francisco Giants - 7/20/2008
Traded OF Darren Ford and LHP Steve Hammond for 2B Ray Durham
Washington Nationals - 9/4/2007
Traded a PTBNL (1B Andrew Lefave) for LHP Ray King

The AL teams are after the jump.

Baltimore Orioles - 7/16/1999
Traded a PTBNL (RHP Al Reyes) for RHP Rocky Coppinger
Boston Red Sox - 7/31/1998
Traded IF Eddy Diaz for RHP Joe Hudson
Chicago White Sox - 12/13/2004
Traded OF Scott Podsednik, RHP Luis Vizcaino and a PTBNL (IF Travis Hinton) for LF Carlos Lee
Cleveland Indians - 7/7/2008
Traded OF Matt LaPorta, LHP Zach Jackson, RHP Rob Bryson, and a PTBNL (OF Michael Brantley) for LHP CC Sabathia
Detroit Tigers - 7/1/2007
Traded RHP Jose Capellan for LHP Chris Cody
Kansas City Royals - 3/27/2007
Traded RHP Ben Hendrickson for a Marxist Empire
LAnaheim Angels - 7/31/2002
Traded OF Alex Ochoa and C Sal Fasano for C Jorge Fabregas and 2 PTBNL (RHP Pedro Liriano and IF John Raburn)
Minnesota Twins - 11/15/2002
Traded RHP Gerry Oakes and RHP Matt Yeatman for RHP Matt Kinney and C Javier Valentin
New York Yankees - 8/23/1996
Traded IF Pat Listach and LHP Graeme Lloyd for OF Gerald Williams and RHP Bob Wickman
Oakland Athletics - 5/23/2007
Traded RHP Alec Zumwalt for cash.
Seattle Mariners - 5/19/2005
Traded C Pat Borders for cash.
Tampa Bay Rays - 4/22/2008
Traded OF Gabe Gross for RHP Josh Butler
Texas Rangers - 7/28/2006
Traded OF Carlos Lee and OF Nelson Cruz for RHP Francisco Cordero, LHP Julian Cordero, OF Kevin Mench, and OF Laynce Nix
Toronto Blue Jays - 1/6/2006
Traded RHP Brian Wolfe for 3B Corey Koskie

This information comes out of the Brewers' 2009 Media Guide. I believe all listed trades include someone on the 40-man roster for one of the teams. Any errors are mine in transcription or not diligently checking MLB's work.