SB Nation - Travis Denker

The Rookies Who Aren't

TheJay — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:16 -0000

A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

The first part of the definition of a rookie in Major League Baseball is straightforward. Once a player reaches 131 at bats or 50 1/3 innings pitched, he's no longer a rookie. The second part is a little trickier. After all, service time numbers are hard to find. They generally come out once each year, in team media guides. Add in the fact that you have to subtract time in the major leagues after September 1st and on the disabled list and it's even harder to figure out who is truly a rookie.

It has already been mentioned this offseason that Mat Gamel eclipsed 45 days of service time before September. Gamel was recalled from Nashville on May 14th and optioned back on July 20th, giving him 67 days on the active roster during the "period of 25-player limit." So, even though he sits at 130 career at bats, the same number Scott Rolen had going into his Rookie of the Year season, Gamel cannot win the Rookie of the Year award (though that might not stop him from getting votes).

Gamel isn't the only such little-used non-rookie in the Brewers organization. Raise your hand if you realized Hernan Iribarren has 48 days of major league service time, all before September 1. Iribarren spent 20 days on the major league roster in April and June 2008, picking up 14 at bats. He spent 28 days in the majors in 2009, batting a mere 13 times. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict he wasn't going to win the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award anyway.

New Brewer George Kottaras also enters 2010 off the list of rookie players. He spent all of 2009 in the majors with the Red Sox, playing in 45 games with 93 at bats. Though he spent the month of August on the disabled list, he gave up his 2010 rookie status in mid-May.

Gamel, Iribarren, and Kottaras are not the only little-used rookies. Follow the jump for a list of all such position players to appear in the majors in 2008 or 2009. Please note it is lengthy and full of guys who have no chance at winning an award anyway. I will post a list of pitchers in the next few days.

Non-Rookies with 130 or fewer career AB:

Mat Gamel, 130 career AB
Joaquin Arias, 129 AB
Argenis Reyes, 127 AB
Jose Morales, 122 AB
Ivan Ochoa*, 120 AB
Michel Hernandez, 118 AB
Curtis Thigpen*, 118 AB
Ramiro Pena, 115 AB
Josh Whitesell, 115 AB
Luke Carlin, 112 AB
Chris Gimenez, 111 AB
Tyler Greene, 108 AB
Sam Fuld, 103 AB
Reid Brignac, 100 AB
Francisco Cervelli, 99 AB
George Kottaras, 98 AB
Freddy Guzman, 95 AB
Robinson Cancel, 94 AB
Guillermo Rodriguez, 92 AB
Steve Holm, 91 AB
Justin Ruggiano*, 90 AB
Nathan Haynes*, 89 AB
Diory Hernandez, 85 AB
Don Kelly, 83 AB
Dane Sardinha, 80 AB
Luis Maza*, 79 AB
Paul Hoover, 78 AB
Edwin Maysonet, 76 AB
Dusty Ryan, 70 AB
Clint Sammons, 68 AB
Tug Hulett, 67 AB
Drew Sutton, 66 AB
J.R. House*, 60 AB
John Mayberry, 57 AB
Gregorio Petit, 54 AB
Brian Myrow*, 51 AB
Chris Stewart*, 48 AB
Justin Christian*, 40 AB
Travis Denker*, 37 AB
Gustavo Molina*, 34 AB
Hernan Iribarren, 27 AB
Ryan Budde, 23 AB

* - last appeared in the majors in 2008

I warned you. If I missed anyone or included someone who should not be on the list, let me know in the comments.

Minor League Update -- 11/09/09

Ben Buchanan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:34:06 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Remember Javier Lopez? Turns out he's a free agent.

Browse more photos »

The Over The Monster top prospects list should start being compiled fairly soon. We'll be using reader voting again, with a slightly different format which should make it so that "write ins" aren't necessary.

Arizona Fall League

Luis Exposito: 3-8, 2B -- .286/.324/.429

-Expo's numbers just keep on improving since the bad start.

Jose Iglesias: 2-8, HR, K -- .222/.286/.378

-Again some pop out of Iglesias. His bat is clearly a work in progress, and he needs to work on plate patience BIG TIME (4 out of 5 at bats last game were 1-pitch at bats. The other was a strikeout. Though he did record RBIs on 3 of 5, so it's worth considering that it might have been somewhat situational.)

Ryan Kalish: 4-9, 2B, 2 BB, K -- .292/.368/.333

-After putting on a surprising power performance during the regular season, it's all but disappeared for Kalish in the fall. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. It could be fatigue, it could be what he's working on, but he's shown he can smack 20+ out. His emergence as a patient hitter who's gonna get on base a lot is much more important.

Casey Kelly: 0-4, BB, K

-Whoo!

Randor Bierd: 3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 K – 5.60 ERA, 12:9 K:BB, 1.19 WHIP

-A poor fall can't be a good sign for Bierd's flickering career.

Richie Lentz: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 0.77 ERA, 13:2 K:BB, .77 WHIP

-Lentz is putting on quite the show after getting pounded in Portland this year. A dramatic improvement in control (33 BB in 36 IP to 2 in 12) can't hurt.

Chris Province: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 3.12 ERA, 8:4 K:BB, 1.04 WHIP

Dustin Richardson: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 5.19 ERA, 13:7 K:BB, 1.85 WHIP

-Includes 1 IP, 2 H, 1 K in the Rising Stars game. That inning will not be included in season numbers.

Columbian Winter League

Reynaldo Rodriguez: .261/.352/.391 in 46 ABs

Dominican Winter League

Mark Wagner: 1-8, K – .296/.390/.500

-Can't dominate every week.

Jose Capellan: 7.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 0 K – 3.71 ERA, 4:10 K:BB, 1.53 WHIP

-The ERA isn't horrible. But the peripherals...Oh the peripherals.

Sydney Winter League

The brothers Moanaroa and Mitch Dening have been hanging out in Aussie.

Mitch Dening: .500/.600/1.500 in 4 ABs

Boss Moanaroa: .357/.500/.429 in 14 ABs

-Still want to see the power.

Moko Moanaroa: .250/.357/.250

Venezuelan Winter League

Yeiper Castillo: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 1.80 ERA, 4:4 K:BB, 1.40 WHIP

Felix Doubront: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 2.84 ERA, 2:0 K:BB, .95 WHIP

Leandro Marin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 3.38 ERA, 4:0 K:BB, 1.13 WHIP

List of Red Sox Minor League Free Agents

Edit: I have been correctly called out by poster Chebornek for not crediting SoxProspects.com for having gotten my information for this list from them. It was an oversight, and certainly in no way malicious. SoxProspects.com is a fantastic site and I encourage any and all of Over the Monster's readers to visit it--they're honestly a better resource than I am.

Technically, some of these names aren't minor leaguers, but it's worth noting them separate from the obvious big name guys.

Zach Borowiak

Robert Coello

Nick Green

Derrick Loop

Dave McKae

Iggy Suarez

Good luck to all the free agents in finding somewhere to play—whether back with Boston or elsewhere.

(Javier Lopez is a pretty surprising name, if you ask me.)

The Pawtucket Red Sox Roster Crunch

Ben Buchanan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:08:01 -0000

More photos »

For some, it's just a stop on the way to the majors. For others, it has been home for years. With a surge of new talent on the way from the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston's AAA-affiliate Pawtucket Red Sox are about to have a major roster shake-up.

Browse more photos »

When doing Minor Lines on an average night, Pawtucket is the least interesting team to look at. The notable names on offense, up till the promotion of Aaron Bates, were all guys who were likely to be bench players at best in their career. Chris Carter, Dusty Brown, Jeff Bailey, Jonathan Van Every. Talented ball players who often rank amongst the elite at AAA, but can't seem to take the next step and enter the world of the Majors.

Portland, on the other hand, is perhaps the most interesting team. Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick were the obvious standouts coming into the year. Wagner has exploded onto the scene with Aaron Bates. Ryan Kalish was promoted after only a month in Salem to start the year, and has slowly but surely begun to adapt to the tougher competition (.308/.325/.385 in June vs. .133/.212/.233 in May). Even less noticeable guys have performed, as 26-year-old Bubba Bell was promoted to Pawtucket today.

When a player is promoted in the minor leagues, much like in the Majors, there always has to be a counter move. Someone has to be traded, released, sent to the DL, promoted or demoted in order to make space. With such a large wave of players having legitimate shots at Pawtucket, and such a large amount of guys seemingly stuck at AAA, the Red Sox are faced with an obvious problem. Who stays, who goes, and what do we do with those who go?

Dusty Brown and Carlos Maldonado share duties behind the plate. They both share similar skill sets—good defensively, mediocre offensively—but Maldonado is a 30-year-old recent signing while Dusty Brown is a 26-year-old who has spent the last 8 years in the Red Sox farm system. Brown could also possibly carry some value down the line as a backup catcher once Wakefield decides to hang up his glove, so when Mark Wagner inevitably comes knocking, expect Maldonado to get the boot.

If Jorge Jimenez makes the jump sooner rather than later, the Sox will have an interesting choice. The PawSox have 3 players who can all play 2B, SS, and 3B in Gil Velazquez, Angel Chavez, and Travis Denker. Velazquez and Chavez are similar players. Both are older (29 and 27 respectively) with good gloves and mediocre bats. Chavez is better offensively, while Velazquez can also play all outfield positions. Travis Denker is something of a defensive liability, but is only 23 and has a somewhat better bat. The organization will probably elect to keep Denker due to his age and offense, but the choice between Chavez and Velazquez is harder. With the value the Sox put on versatility in the minor leagues, though, Velazquez seems to have an edge up.

The most crowded positions, though, are the 1B/DH and Outfield positions. Pawtucket currently rotates a trio of Jeff Bailey, Aaron Bates, and Paul McAnulty through the corner outfield and 1B positions with Jeff Natale, Freddy Guzman, and Chris Carter (usually at the DH) getting occasional turns. Currently on the DL, Zach Daeges and Jonathan Van Every are also often slotted in. Sometime next year, though, it's not at all unlikely that a majority of these spots will be filled by players currently in Portland. Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick will replace Jeff Bailey and Paul McAnulty in the starting group. Kalish will take over at center field, with Reddick seeing some starts there too.

If the Sox think they can get value for any of the guys currently in the group, they'll likely ship them off. Jeff Bailey, Chris Carter, and Jonathan Van Every are the most familiar names on the list, and the ones most likely to get some small returns. On the other hand, they're also the ones most likely to start the year with the Major League club. Depending on the future of Rocco Baldelli, Nick Green, Julio Lugo, and Mark Kotsay (not to mention David Ortiz), the Red Sox could quickly find themselves in need of a new 4^th outfielder or backup middle infielder. Bubba Bell would likely be one of the top candidates for a trade. It seems Bailey and Carter might again be fighting for a job next season, but without a spot at Pawtucket to fall back on. And if the Sox resign any of their current backups or add a few veterans in the offseason, then there could be no room for anyone.

Over the last few years, Pawtucket has stagnated a little. Aside from a few major players moving up (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lowrie), there has been an established core of AAAA position players who every so often get their shot at a cup of coffee. Now, the core seems destined to be broken up. Already, Chip Ambres was traded to the Mets and Sandy Madera was released. For some, the change will mean new opportunities. Whether with the Red Sox or another team, some of them certainly have the ability to at least be major league backups. For others, it will be just another move in a long series of moves in their long minor league careers. And for some more it may just be the end of the road. But for the Red Sox, it will mean a vast well of talent on the very edge of the making the Majors, and a much more interesting PawSox box score.

Trades: Oh the Realities!

Allen Chace — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:48:01 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

Contemplating a bad pitch, or an imminent move? (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

Browse more photos »

The title is a bit tongue-in-cheek. I don't mean to rein in Randy. I kind of mean to rein in everyone else with some "facts" with regard to trades, real and imagined.

1. Adrian Gonzalez isn't walking through that door. Hey. I love the dream as much as anyone, and it's ridiculous to say that he's untouchable or unavailable. But when his "availability" is contingent on us sending San Diego 8-12 of our top 20 prospects, it starts to lose a little bit of its luster. I'm not interested in that kind of deal, and I very much doubt that Theo would be interested in said deal as well.

2. If Adam Dunn walks through that door, it will most likely mean that someone else who has meant a lot to this organization over the last several years will have played his last game as a Red Sox. I'm not saying we won't be brought to the point of considering this, I'm just saying that the Sox aren't going to trade for Dunn and use him in the field more than once a month or so. Somewhat ditto for Victor Martinez and Mark DeRosa in that they make a lot more sense on a team that doesn't have David Ortiz than one that does.

3. When it comes to defensive upgrades at SS, Jack Wilson is more likely than anyone else. This is partially good, because Wilson's relatively high salary for an all-glove no-hit SS means that Pittsburgh will probably be receiving the baseball equivalent of a wooden nickel.

4. We can imagine that many of our minor leaguers have trade value, but here are the ones who actually do: Lars Anderson, Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, Nick Hagadone, Ryan Kalish, Luis Exposito, Stolmy Pimental, Josh Reddick, Mark Wagner, and to extend a bit to the bigs, Justin Masterson and Daniel Bard. Here are examples of minor leaguers with negligible or no trade value: Jonathan Van Every, Kris Johnson, Dusty Brown, Travis Denker, Chris Carter, and Jeff Bailey. Neither list is all-inclusive, but a good rule of thumb is this: If you can easily imagine parting with the player, then it's probably easy for the opposing club to decline such a trade, unless they would have monetary reasons to do so (the aforementioned Wilson.).

5. Nick Green and Julio Lugo provide acceptable offense from the 9 spot and the SS position in general. Names like Miguel Tejada and Michael Young make no sense for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that neither would solve the actual problem at SS: fielding.

6. While Miguel Cabrera is a fantastic pipe-dream, that Detroit firesale we were hearing about all winter won't come to fruition as long as the team is performing this well. Adam Everett could be available, I suppose, though I imagine Detroit would look for an NL team first if they make that decision. Ditto for Texas, who would have no real motivation to trade a player like Omar Vizquel right now. He might be a bit of a luxury for them as a utilityman, but he's a very affordable luxury for a team in 1st place.

7. Jed Lowrie is coming back. My hope is that they're going to be conservative in getting him back on the field, but he will be back, even conservatively, probably by the end of the month. Wilson might be the only appropriate acquisition we could make happen by then.

8. Me no wants to trade with Oakland. This isn't a fact, I suppose, but Billy Beane very rarely loses trades. The team, if any, that gets Matt Holliday from him this summer could very easily live to regret it. On that note, however, Matt Holliday is probably the reason that the Sox haven't been as aggressive extending Jason Bay as some think that we should. If Holliday can turn it on and prove he can hit in that big park in Oakland and in the AL, then the Sox will probably make a push for him in the offseason. Say what you want about Bay being a better player, but Holliday is definitely better defensively, and I have to imagine that's something going through the minds of everyone in the FO.

9. We're not getting a prospect back from Brad Penny. A role player is likely, one who would fill the hole of good defensive SS or of reliable RH 4th OF. That's still a good trade, because in a hypothetical world, we'd need that role player more than we would need a 5th starter when we still have Smoltz, Buch, and Bowden yet to start games in the MLs this season.

10. We've got some albatross contracts, just like many other teams. Spin it however you want: Julio Lugo and David Ortiz have negative value. If they depart, it'll be for nothing but some contract relief. Possibly. We're not going to be unloading J.D. Drew or Daisuke anytime soon either. Drew is a positive offensively and defensively, despite his real or imagined fragility and contract status. Daisuke would be giving up far too soon on an intriguing if still sometimes (all right, often) frustrating starting pitcher whose CONTRACT (not total cost, CONTRACT) is very reasonable from the Sox' point of view.

11. If a BIG move is coming this summer, it's probably going to involve something few of us would be emotionally ready for, such as the previously alluded to release of David Ortiz or a possible trade of Jonathan Papelbon. React in surprise if you must, but Paps will be 29 to begin next season, and while I don't think he'll be actively shopped, we're kidding ourselves if we believe that Theo wouldn't be prepared to go with Saito or Bard or maybe even Masterson in the closer role if someone puts a great offer on the table for Paps, who is looking for top dollar at every opportunity.

12. I guess that's all. Maybe I'm blowing smoke as much as the next guy, but I think it's important to be reasonable and thoughtful when thinking about trade rumors, especially this early in the season.

Know Your Foe: Visiting Chase Field never looked so good

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:40:47 -0000

More photos » by Eric Risberg - AP

The frustrated Diamondbacks are there for the taking if Colorado hopes to turn their own frowns upside-down.

Browse more photos »

The Rockies have completed four series thus far, winning one, tying one, and losing two. After a sweep punctuated by an embarrassing loss Sunday, a return to play Arizona in the desert might be just what Colorado needs. Did I just say that? Forget the past - that's history. What matters is right now, and the Rockies will be playing the coldest team in the majors, and the one team they have beaten in a series this year to boot.

Arizona Diamondbacks (4-8, L1, t-4th in NL West)

Monday-Wednesday : 3-game series at Colorado

As bitter as it tastes to be a Rockies fan after this past week, it's far worse being a D-Backs fan right now. Check it out:

Arizona managed just TWO runs in their weekend set at AT&T.
Despite allowing just four runs in three starts, Dan Haren is 0-3 - one total run of support will do that to you.
At one point last week, not a single D-Back crossed home plate for 20 innings.
Their run differential is -22, dead last in the majors (even the 1-10 Nats)
Six losses in eight games.
Rankings at the bottom of the barrel all around:

Team Stat	MLB Rank	Amt
wOBA	28th	.293
OPS	26th	.680
Average	28th	.227
Runs For	27th	40
ERA	20th	5.18
Runs Against	20th	62
K's For	25th	70

For perspective, their team wOBA is worse than Willy Taveras was last season. And those pitching stats aren't even misleading - their staff has allowed the 7th lowest BABIP in the bigs. Quite frankly, Arizona is performing like everyone thought San Diego would. DbacksSkins has issued advice to himself and his brethren. Jim McLennan at the 'Pit has 10 reasons to be fearful for Arizona fans.

Colorado faced the hottest team in the majors this weekend on the road, and now it's time to take on arguably the coldest. It will be a great opportunity to rebound while simultaneously returning the favor of sending Arizona spiralling downward in April.

Probable Pitchers:

Today, 7:40pm MDT

Battle of the new veterans:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jon Garland	1-1	8.44	1.96	2	8

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Marquis	2-0	1.93	1.00	5	4

Jason Marquis looks like the better veteran rotation addition so far. Anything close to his two previous starts should be a streak-breaker. Jon Garland has never faced the Rockies in his career. Marquis is 2-3 with a 3.82 ERA vs Arizona since 2006.

Tuesday, April 21, 1:40pm MDT

Battle of the pseudo-5th starters:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
009 - Franklin Morales	1-0	1.50	0.83	6	1

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Yusmeiro Petit	0-1	7.71	1.57	7	4

Yusmeiro Petit filled in the fifth spot in the rotation when Brandon Webb landed on the DL and struggled, while Franklin Morales returns to the fifth spot in the Rockies rotation after a scoreless outing in AAA. The Petit Unit has allowed two runs in seven innings in his career vs Colorado; Morales is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA vs Arizona in three career starts.

Wednesday, April 22, 1:40pm MDT

Battle of the unfairly winless:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	0-1	4.50	1.70	8	6

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Dan Haren	0-3	1.89	0.79	17	3

Dan Haren leads MLB with three losses, but he has been the victim of historically minimal run support. Jorge de la Rosa allowed no runs in his last start, but a blown save foiled his chance for his first win. Haren is 3-2 with a 2.85 ERA vs. Colorado since 2006, and DLR is 1-1 with a 3.92 ERA vs the Snakes.

Lineup:

What follows is what was considered the best line-up Arizona had to start the season, but as is evident, the struggling offense will breed a lineup shuffle in order and personnel.

Player	Avg	HR	RBI
Lopez	.370	2	4
Young	.238	1	3
Drew	.222	1	5
Jackson	.200	1	7
Tracy	.290	1	6
Upton	.185	0	1
Reynolds	.257	2	5
Snyder	.100	0	1

It's a bad sign when your best player is 0-3. Dan Haren (0-3, 1.89 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 17 K) has allowed just four runs in his three starts but lost all three of them. Felipe Lopez stayed hot after his historic Opening Day. He hit .462 last week in 26 ABs.

How about the rest of the lineup? Stephen Drew, Conor Jackson, Eric Byrnes, Chris Snyder and Chris Young all failed to record as many hits last week as Ian Kinsler did Wednesday alone. The entire offense frozen, especially with runners in scoring position.

Stephen Drew left Friday's game with a left hamstring injury. He is day to day but has not played since Friday. Augie Ojeda has taken his place in the line-up, hitting leadoff and pushing the hot-hitting Lopez to the three-hole.

NL West Report after the jump

NL West Report

Arizona (4-8, t-4th, L1)

Last Week: 1-2 vs Cardinals, 1-2 at Giants. Arizona has lost every series this season, three of them at home. Getting buried early while

This Week: 3 game home series vs. Rockies, 3 game home series vs Giants

News: Brandon Webb threw a flat-ground bullpen session yesterday, and will throw off the mound tomorrow. Jim McLennan says it "doesn't seem he'll be back soon." The course of action Arizona will take with Webb is entirely dependent on his performance tomorrow.

Stephen Drew

#6 / Short Stop / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Mar 16, 1983

Stephen Drew left Friday's game with a hamstring injury and has not played since, and Mark Reynolds missed Sunday's game with a left quadriceps strain.

D-Backs fans can at least take refuge in the fact that their AAA team is going strong. Until the Sky Sox won yesterday, the Visalia Rawhide were undefeated. 2008 Minor League Player of the Year Josh Whitesell is on fire, so perhaps he could see some playing time soon over struggling Tony Clark.

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Stephen Drew	hamstring	04/20/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tom Gordon	elbow	03/27/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

Los Angeles (10-3, 2nd, W8)

Last Week: 3-0 vs Giants, 3-0 vs Rockies. The Dodgers have the greatest run differential in the majors at +42. That eclipses 11-1 Florida by 11.

This Week: 3 game road series at Giants, 3 game road series at Rockies. Los Angeles owns MLB's longest win streak this season, though all but two of those games came at home. Los Angeles will hit the road for their next nine games, so hopefully they will slow down away from Chavez Ravine.

News: The Dodgers are one of three teams rumored to be interested in Mark Mulder. The former Athletic and Cardinal is still a few weeks away from being ready to pitch.

Mark Mulder

#30 / Pitcher / Free Agent

Height: 6-6

Weight: 215

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Aug 05, 1977

Signed LHP Chuck Tiffany to a minor league contract and will be assigned to extended spring training. Tiffany was traded to Tampa Bay in the Danys Baez deal in 2006 and was released by the Rays last month.

The Dodgers traded OF Delwyn Young to the Pirates Wednesday for two PTBNL's. Young was out of options and injured.

Los Angeles is on a tear to start the season, but it can't last forever. Sky Kalkman ran the CHONE projections again Saturday for the remaining games, and the Dodgers finished just two games north of .500. If after the weekend sweep you want to see more bad press on the Dodgers, check out GM Ned Colletti's all-time team of players he gave up on.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Doug Mientkiewicz	shoulder	04/17/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	03/30/2009
Hiroki Kuroda	oblique	04/07/2009
Cory Wade	shoulder	04/12/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Claudio Vargas	elbow	04/05/2009

San Diego (9-4, 2nd, W4)

Last Week: 2-1 at Mets, 2-1 at Phillies. Despite facing the top two NL East favorites on the road, the Padres continue to roll. A blown save yesterday by Edwin Moreno prevented a 5-1 week. Heath Bell, who leads MLB with 7 saves (3 more than anyone else), was unavailable due to multiple recent appearances.

This Week: 1 game to finish 4 game series at Phillies, 2 game road series at Giants, 3 game home series vs Pirates.

News: 2B Trivis Denker was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox last Tuesday.

Travis Denker

San Diego Padres

Height: 5-9

Weight: 205

Born: Aug 05, 1985

Paul DePodesta answers questions regarding Denker, the sporadic use of Eulogio de la Cruz, and why the Friars carry 13 pitchers.

The Padres have surprised so far this season with their 9-4 record. If they remain in contention, they have the payroll flexibility to add a piece in a push for the playoffs.

Walter Silva strained his forearm and will head to the DL.

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Everth Cabrera	other-excused	04/20/2009
Walter Silva	forearm	04/14/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009
Mike Adams	shoulder	03/27/2009

San Francisco (4-8, t-4th, W1)

Last Week: 0-3 at Los Angeles, 2-1 vs Arizona. It is hard to gauge San Francisco, as they faced the division's hottest and coldest teams in the same week.

This Week: 2 game home series vs Padres, 3 game road series at Arizona.

News: GM Brian Sabean is reportedly back-tracking on another bad contract. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday that the Giants are trying to unload Aaron Rowand, with the White Sox as a possibility.

Aaron Rowand

#33 / Center Field / San Francisco Giants

Height: 6-0

Weight: 220

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 29, 1977

	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Aaron Rowand	.297	.350	.541

For any trade to take place, San Francisco would have to eat a large portion of his contract. Such a trade would hurt former Rockie Scott Podsednik's chance to make a contribution in Chicago.

El Lefty Malo notes that many fans are pointing to 2010 as the year the Giants will compete. He isn't so sure.

San Francisco Giants Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Noah Lowry	shoulder	03/27/2009
Sergio Romo	elbow	03/27/2009
Joe Martinez	concussion	04/10/2009

Poll

How many games will Colorado take from Arizona this series?

0 - This team is in such disarray, even another struggling team will sweep them

10 votes

1 - That's the most you can hope for with the bottom three of the rotation in the queue

27 votes

2 - Arizona has lost every series this season and is ice cold. The Rox are struggling too much to expect a sweep, but a series win is in the bag.

54 votes

3 - We might be struggling, but Arizona is worse off than when we took two in the desert two weeks ago. The Snakes are banished to the cellar

26 votes

117 votes | Poll has closed

TotalZone on Second Base Prospects

erik — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:00:11 -0000

Rally and Sackmann (sounds like a detective show) have given us TotalZone stats for minor leaguers, which can be found at position players' pages at Minor League Splits. Sackmann provided the data, Rally created TotalZone, which he has long used with major league players. For a full explanation on how reliable these stats and how they translate to the majors, you can read here. Over the past couple of days we've looked at shortstops and center fielders, this time we'll check out the keystoners.

Charted below are the consensus top second baseman in the minors. Just a quick word about this class: It's quite weak.

	Org.	Age	Level	Outs	Chances	Runs	Runs/150
Adrian Cardenas	OAK	20	A+	120	168	0	0
Matt Antonelli	SDP	23	AAA	240	345	-6	-8
Chris Coghlan	FL	23	AAA	252	338	9	12
Luis Valbuena	CLE	22	AA	155	205	7	15
Nick Noonan	SFG	19	A	262	382	-3	-4
Shelby Ford	PIT	23	AA	155	224	-3	-6
Eric Sogard	SDP	22	A+	286	411	2	2
Eric Young Jr.	COL	23	AA	230	305	11	16
Johnny Giavotella	KC	20	A	133	186	3	7
Brad Emaus	TOR	22	A+	216	308	-2	-3
Travis Denker	SDP	22	AAA	128	166	6	16
Ryan Mount	LAA	21	A+	184	272	-3	-5
Jacob Smolinski	WAS	19	A	117	160	3	8
John Tolisano	TOR	19	A	234	350	-6	-8
Tony Thomas Jr.	CHC	21	A+	249	317	19	27

After the trade to Oakland, Adrian Cardenas played more games at shortstop than at second. In his career he has a -3 at SS and -5 at 2B. He's a middle infielder, but at which position is yet to be determined.
Matt Antonelli went from being "can't miss" to "swing and a miss", as he got all out of sorts with his swing in AAA last year. He still has a patient approach and he believes he pinpointed the problems with his swing, so he may reassert himself into top prospect status. He played third in college but has converted to second, and hasn't really adjusted, posting a -17 over three seasons in the minors.
Chris Coghlan may be flying under the radar. He's not a real power threat, but he can hit. In his last two seasons, he has wOBA+'s of 122 and 112. This was his first season where his defense is a plus.
Luis Valbuena came to Cleveland from Seattle in that three team, 12-player swap that included J.J. Putz. He posted a .380 OBP last season between AA and AAA, and is a pretty nifty defender, with +43 runs through '05-'08. Asdrubal Cabrera should start looking over his shoulder.
E-Yo 2.0 looks like a carbon copy of E-Yo 1.0 - A speedy, small ball type of player that can reach base at a reasonable clip. His scouting report says that defense is his biggest challenge, but the numbers disagree, he's a +21 defender over '05-'08 and had his best season in '08. The Rockies seem intent to move him to CF, which looks like a mistake, but his future is as a utility player, so having him play some infield and outfield won't hurt him. I look forward to seeing Jr. on Baseball Tonight some time in the 2020's.
Tony Thomas Jr. had the best TZ of any 2B last season and is an interesting sleeper. He was an outstanding hitter in college in and short-season ball last year, but struggled to find his stroke last year in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. If he could just be close to average with that bat, he ought to be a nice asset. CHONE projects he'd be a +1 win defender per 150 games in the big leagues this year.

80% of San Diego Padres are Overweight

jbox — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:47:40 -0000

For some reason when any news article talks about fat people they show this picture, I think it's some sort of standard so I'll comply.

View full size photo »

I was thinking about Heath Bell using the Wii Fit to drop 25 lbs because it told him he was obese. Even after losing all that weight he is still considered obese. The Wii Fit uses the Body Mass Index to calculate whether you are underweight, normal, overweight or obese. I took it upon myself to use this here BMI Calculator to see how the rest of the Padres fared.

Wii Fit passes judgment quickly and makes your Mii fat with no apologies. I however will make this disclaimer :

One basic problem, especially in athletes, is that muscle is denser than fat. Some professional athletes are "overweight" or "obese" according to their BMI - unless the number at which they are considered "overweight" or "obese" is adjusted upward in some modified version of the calculation.

I should also say that teams and players always lie about height and weight. Why is that? They are so careful to keep accurate stats on everything else but they just don't care when it comes to radar guns and body size. I also doubt all these guys have weights that end in a five or zero.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to pretend I didn't read the disclaimer and that all these guys look like 200 lbs of chewed bubble gum.

80% of Padres players are overweight. 7.5% of players are obese. Only 20% are normal and none are underweight.

Personally I'm glad to see the Padres packing it on. It's no coincidence that the Greatest Padre Who Ever Lived was also the most overweight. Tony Gwynn was 5'11" and weighed 225 at the end of his career and estimates he put on 50 lbs in retirement. That put him at a BMI of 31.4 in his playing days and a 38.4 now. As usual nobody can touch his numbers.

So here's how the rest of the team breaks down. Here come the stats!

Name	Height	Weight	BMI	Category
Henry Blanco	5-11	220	30.7	OBESE
Travis Denker	5-9	205	30.3	OBESE
Heath Bell	6-3	240	30	OBESE
Chase Headley	6-2	230	29.5	OVERWEIGHT
Brian Giles	5-10	205	29.4	OVERWEIGHT
Chris Young	6-10	280	29.3	OVERWEIGHT
Joe Thatcher	6-2	225	28.9	OVERWEIGHT
Adrian Gonzalez	6-2	225	28.9	OVERWEIGHT
Jody Gerut	6-0	210	28.5	OVERWEIGHT
Mark Worrell	6-1	215	28.4	OVERWEIGHT
Jae Kuk Ryu	6-3	225	28.1	OVERWEIGHT
Luis Rodriguez	5-9	190	28.1	OVERWEIGHT
Luis Durango	5-9	190	28.1	OVERWEIGHT
Cliff Floyd	6-4	230	28	OVERWEIGHT
Nick Hundley	6-1	210	27.7	OVERWEIGHT
Kevin Kouzmanoff	6-1	210	27.7	OVERWEIGHT
Cha Seung Baek	6-4	225	27.4	OVERWEIGHT
David Eckstein	5-7	175	27.4	OVERWEIGHT
Matt Antonelli	6-0	200	27.1	OVERWEIGHT
Justin Hampson	6-1	205	27	OVERWEIGHT
Scott Patterson	6-6	230	26.6	OVERWEIGHT
Will Venable	6-2	205	26.3	OVERWEIGHT
Wilton Lopez	6-0	190	25.8	OVERWEIGHT
Cla Meredith	6-0	190	25.8	OVERWEIGHT
Jake Peavy	6-1	195	25.7	OVERWEIGHT
Ivan Nova	6-4	210	25.6	OVERWEIGHT
Jackson Quezada	6-3	205	25.6	OVERWEIGHT
Drew Macias	6-3	205	25.6	OVERWEIGHT
Mike Ekstrom	6-0	185	25.1	OVERWEIGHT
Everth Cabrera	5-9	170	25.1	OVERWEIGHT
Scott Hairston	6-0	185	25.1	OVERWEIGHT
Wade LeBlanc	6-3	200	25	OVERWEIGHT
Ernesto Frieri	6-2	190	24.4	NORMAL
Cesar Ramos	6-2	190	24.4	NORMAL
Edgar V. Gonzalez	6-0	180	24.4	NORMAL
Chad Reineke	6-6	210	24.3	NORMAL
Josh Geer	6-3	190	23.7	NORMAL
Jose Lobaton	6-0	170	23.1	NORMAL
Mike Adams	6-5	190	22.5	NORMAL
Cesar Carrillo	6-3	180	22.5	NORMAL

Some of these guys are big boned, some have spectacularly large hips for men (Chris Young) but most are just beefcakes. Chase Headley and Cla Meredith just got married which always fattens guys up, so that's their excuse.

[Note by jbox, 02/19/09 9:21 AM PST ]

NC Times:

"I'm in shape," reads one of the T-shirts in Bell's rotation. "Round is a shape."

Listed last year at 240 pounds, Bell ballooned to 275 shortly after the season ended. But by limiting his cookie intake to "binge" days, slashing high-calorie soda from his diet and embracing Nintendo's Wii Fit exercise routine, Bell has shed enough surplus that his size 52 jersey has begun to look baggy.

So if Bell lost 25 lbs, he is probably closer to 250 which would put his BMI at 31.2 which would be the highest on the team.

Poll

Did you calculate your BMI? What category were you in?

Underweight

6 votes

Normal

36 votes

Overweight

33 votes

Obese

16 votes

91 votes | Poll has closed