SB Nation - Brian Lawrence

Marlins Minor League Free Agents

craig — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:59:10 -0000

This is the time of the year when those who are eligible can file for Minor League free agency. To be eligible, basically, a player with six years of service after his first season can file if he is not on the 40-man roster. Here is this year's list.

Florida (32)

Pitchers: LHP Willie Collazo, RHP Matt Desalvo, RHP Nate Field, RHP Jonathan Fulton, RHP William Glen, RHP Clay Hensley, RHP Brian Lawrence, RHP Carlos Martinez, RHP Nick McCurdy, RHP David Miller, RHP Kasey Olenberger, RHP Henry Owens, RHP Matt Peterson, RHP Levale Speigner, RHP Nick Ungs

Catchers: Michael Rabelo, Neil Wilson

Infielders: Christopher De La Cruz, John Lindsey, David Matranga, Louis Ott, Smelin Perez, Kevin Randel, Rigoberto Silverio, Lee Mitchell, Rich Townsend, Geraldo Valentin

Outfielders: Ben Harrison, Erik Kanaby, Michael Ryan, Lorenzo Scott, Brandon Tripp

Rabelo, McCurdy, Silverio and Townsend spent all of the 2009 season on the DL. So they might be a bit chancy for another club to sign. Then again, maybe not. Signing a minor league free agent basically costs nothing and the club's only obligation is to carry them all the way through spring training. So normally someone will be willing to give them a shot. Just because another team signs them doesn't necessarily mean they won't be back with the Marlins. A couple of years ago Paul Hoover filed, went through spring training with some team and ended up once again being the Marlins Triple-A catcher.

Kinda sad to see Henry Owens name on the list. For a little while in 2007 he was the closer for the Marlins and did a pretty good job, then he hurt his shoulder and ended up playing for Dr. Andrews team. We have never seen him in a Marlins uniform since.

Freaking Out About Division Rivals

Grant — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:43:38 -0000

In 2001, the Giants didn't make the playoffs for a lot of reasons. The starting pitching was inconsistent, there was a revolving black hole at third base, and Barry Bonds was only on base 52% of the time. The team won 90 games, but it was a bitter finish. And I spent the entire season worrying about the Padres.

The Padres didn't even finish above .500, but their organizational depth chart woke me up at night, and gave me emotional wedgies during the day. The '27 Yankees had nothing on what was to be the 2004 Padres:

C - Ben Davis (Power-hitting backstop for the next decade!)
1B - Tagg Bozied (Good gravy, what power!)
2B - Jake Gautreau (Newly drafted middle infield monster!)
SS - D'Angelo Jimenez (Former Yankees top prospect!)
3B - Sean Burroughs (Ten-time batting champion! Maybe!)
LF - Bubba Trammell (They should lock him up long term!)
CF - Mark Kotsay (As long as he stays healthy!)
RF - Xavier Nady (Dude's name starts with an X! An X!

The young pitching was similarly terrifying, with neo-Maddux Brian Lawrence, Wascar Serrano, OBP-master Adam Eaton, and some goof named Jake Peavy. I remember thinking, man, if only 50% of the young players develop, the Padres will be a dynasty. And all that talent would have been capably managed by strategic mastermind Bruce Bochy. The only saving grace was that the Giants weren't in the AL West, where teams would have to deal with a Kotchman/Kendrick/Wood/McPherson infield starting every All-Star Game until 2015.

My point is this: Sometimes prospects don't pan out. Thank you for your time. You can PayPal mccoveychronicles@gmail.com if you feel obligated.

Wait! I had another point. The reason for this trip down early-decade Memory Lane is that I didn't learn. I kept a very detailed Excel spreadsheet of how many eggs other teams had, and I was surprised when the omelet would fit in my shirt pocket.

Years later, the Diamondbacks started amassing talent like there was a shortage coming. Every position had five-tool goofs who were also translating the tools into results. An outfield of Chris Young, Carlos Quentin, and Justin Upton? An infield with Chad Tracy and Conor Jackson at the corners? A couple of offensively capable catchers to rotate in and of the lineup? They had so many good young players, they could afford to send entire minor league affiliates to the A's for Dan Haren. The worst part: They were already good, winning the division in 2007. This decade was going to be ugly.

While I was soiling myself thinking about Justin Upton and Chris Young combining for 1,000 steals and home runs over their careers, the Dodgers were lactating impact players. Even worse, the Rockies were building one of the best offenses in the league exclusively with homegrown talent. Most nights, the Rockies are able to start eight homegrown players. Eight! To find eight Giants worth starting over the past thirty years, you'd probably have to put Jack Clark at shortstop.

The Diamondbacks still have a lot of young talent; it isn't time to relegate them to the Nady/Bozied abyss. But my other, more relevant, point is this: Worry about yer own damned team. Seriously. I'm through getting caught up in prospect lists and under-25 superstars-in-the-making, forecasting doom for ten years in the future. If the Diamondbacks do become an elite team, they'll probably use guys like Stephen Drew and Justin Upton, but they'll have to supplement the roster with guys who weren't even close to the team picture a couple of years ago. The next contending team probably isn't going to have a lot to do with Micah Owings or Chad Tracy. I did a lot of worrying about a specific collection of talent for nothing.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go think about the 2011 infield (Posey/Villalona/Noonan/Crawford/Sandoval) for a while. They should really rip the place up, especially when Madison Bumgarner is yet another perennial Cy Young candidate. Mmm. That's going to be a tasty, tasty omelet.

And, yes, I'm quite aware that this post will be responsible for the three home runs hit by Chad Tracy tonight.

Around the Mission: 6/17 Padres Links

jbox — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:57:58 -0000

Gwynn Sr. watching son follow in proud papa's footsteps - MLB - CBSSports.com Baseball
"The first knock he got, I lost my mind. It just came flying out. I'm so proud of him. He didn't quit. He didn't give up. He didn't get flustered because he didn't get a chance to play in Milwaukee. He just kept working, kept his nose to the grindstone hoping to get an opportunity. And now he's getting it, and on my old team."
Peavy injury further clouds future
Moorad says Peavy will be "around for a while" due to his injury. The good news for fans of the team's budget is that the Padres have an insurance policy on Peavy.
Padres' Young likely headed for DL | padres.com: News
I was waiting for Young to say he wrote his thesis at Princeton about inflamed shoulders.
Sore shoulder could force Young to miss a start : North County Times
"It's definitely aggravated," Young said. "It's reached a point where it's not getting better in between starts and its affecting me out on the mound. We have to change the game plan a bit."
Padres reshuffle as Gregerson hits DL | padres.com: News
Padres reliever Luke Gregerson was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday with tendinitis in his right shoulder, triggering a series of roster moves.
Baseball Prospectus | Minor League Update: June 16
"The Padres' top prospect finally got touched up for a few runs on Monday night", just in time for his eventual call up to the Padres.
Correia drops duel with Mariners' ace | padres.com: News
The Padres lost their 12th consecutive Interleague game, going back to last season, to set a new Major League record for the longest Interleague drought.
Not good enough : North County Times
Who needs Peavy when you can have Correia throw 8 innings of 2 hit ball and get a loss?
Gaudin staying strong through adversity | padres.com: News
Padres pitcher Chad Gaudin suffered his worst statistical outing of the season on Friday in his last start, an 11-6 loss to the Angels.
San Antonio Missions: Open Tryouts
Have you ever wanted to play professional baseball for the San Diego Padres or San Antonio Missions? The Padres will hold an open tryout in San Antonio on Thursday, June 18th at Wolff Stadium.
Cherokee Chronicle Times: Padres host baseball camp in Akron
The camp, under the direction of Hank Krause, a scout with the San Diego Padres, is for players age 15-19. Players must provide their own glove, shoes, and uniform, with the Padres providing the rest.
Twitter / Ducksnorts:
"I have to admit, it would be kinda cool to see Brian Lawrence pitch for the #Padres again. He starts for the Portland Beavers tonight."
Twitter / Tim Sullivan:
"Not to belabor a trade nearly six years old, but Jason Bay has the same number of RBI that Brian Giles has total bases: 61."