SB Nation - Scott Proctor

Braves Sign Joe Thurston; Vazquez Won't Cross the Rocky Mountains

gondeee — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:18:30 -0000

Utility man Joe Thurston, formerly of the Cardinals, has signed a minor league deal with the Braves.

A few tidbits of information today. First off, from Mark Bowman we learn that the Braves have signed light-hitting utility man Joe Thurston, who last year was with the Cardinals, to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Thurston is mainly a second baseman, but he's made himself more valuable in recent years be learning to play the outfield and most recently learning to play third base (though, not that well). He's played a tad bit of shortstop in the minor leagues, but mainly he'll be in camp competing for the second utility infield position.

In the same blog post, and later in a front page post, Bowman quotes a source who confirms that it is highly unlikely that Javier Vazquez would waive his no-trade clause to go to a West coast team. I tackled that rumor and debunked it last night, albeit with out a "source," I instead used logic. It's good to know that Javy is still interested in remaining in Atlanta beyond next season. I'd like to see that happen, but of course, all of this is predicated on the Braves moving Derek Lowe.

Speaking of Lowe, I expect that we'll begin to hear another team mentioned more frequently in trade rumors with Lowe -- the New York Yankees. They seem to be tackling one off-season priority at a time, and after acquiring Curtis Granderson and now signing Nick Johnson, many people expect them to focus on starting pitching. The Braves are rumored to have long been interested in Nick Swisher. If they can swing Lowe for Swisher, then that may free up the Yankees to go back and try to re-sign Johnny Damon, another move that is seemingly in the Yankees interest.

Another team that may be looking for more starting pitching is the Cubs, who just freed up a bunch of money by trading Milton Bradley. I'm not sure how they would match up in a trade with the Braves, though, as they don't seem to have any surplus at a position the Braves need to fill.

I also continue to hear that free agent Xavier Nady and the Braves are close to a deal, and that only lingering medical questions about Nady are holding up the deal. Getting Swisher and Nady would seem to wrap up the principal needs of the Braves off-season, and set us up with a good and deep team heading into spring training. One name that I haven't heard mentioned with the Braves, but one I'd like to hear mentioned is Troy Glaus. He's a year removed from a fantastic season, and while he would primarily play first base, he would be an excellent third base insurance policy against Chipper Jones getting injured.

The Braves front office also officially announced, via a press release, that the team has signed six minor league free agents this off-season. The list includes left-handed pitcher Mariano Gomez, catchers Orlando Mercado and J.C. Boscan, infielder Joe Thurston and outfielders Brent Clevlen and Mitch Jones. They join right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor, who signed in November.

The Atlanta Braves Weekly Wrap

gondeee — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:25:20 -0000

Here's a look at the major stories in the world of the Atlanta Braves for the week ending on November 8th:

In the Press...

Baseball America released their top-10 Braves prospects for 2010.
SI.com reported that the Braves might make a play for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, but then Frank Wren shot down that rumor.
Talking Chop was one of the first to report that the Braves signed reliever Scott Proctor to a very affordable minor league contract.
Tim Hudson says his contract extension is essentially done, but we are still waiting on the MRI result on his right elbow before the Braves officially announce the deal.
Four Braves players filed for free agency.
Mike Minor got roughed up big-time in his start in the AFL Rising Stars game.
The blog, Stadium Journey, reviewed their visit to Turner Field.

At Talking Chop...

The Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence continued to rise this off-season.
We reviewed the 2009 seasons of the Braves starting pitchers, Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, and Kenshin Kawakami.
Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg was named the Topps Appy League Player of the Year.
I asked if J.J. Putz could be an option at closer for next year.

Notable FanPosts and FanShots...

jmorris811 shared a bunch of his Braves photos with us.
ryan c thinks Chipper Jones should be moved into the number-2 spot in the batting order.
arnec reprints a nice story about Ralph Garr and the Richmond Braves.
rbravesfan shares some pictures of the Rome Braves.
justincredubil02 cannot bring himself to believe that the Braves would trade Javier Vazquez.
mvhsball takes issue with columnist Mark Bradley's suggestion to make Tommy Hanson a closer.
PWHjort passes along a comment about Mike Minor from BA's Jim Callis.

Upcoming Events...

The first ever Brian McCann Celebrity Softball Game is set for November 13th... details here. We're making this a bit of a Talking Chop outing, so everyone get your tickets!
The Gwinnett Braves have a whole slate of off-season events planned at their ballpark, the list is here.

Scott Proctor gets a new gig

craig — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:39:38 -0000

Talking Chop reports the Braves have signed Scott Proctor. You remember Scott Proctor, or maybe you don't, the Marlins signed him and he never pitched a game for the Fish. Proctor ended up playing for Dr. Andrews team for all of the 2009 season when he underwent Tommy John surgery.

Naturally we wish him the best, except when he plays against the Marlins, and hopefully the Atlanta job will workout for him. But to be honest, given the abuse his arm suffered under Torre and now coming off surgery, I wouldn't put him on my fantasy team, much less my real team. There is one caveat to that, if you are playing fantasy baseball in one of those strange rules leagues where you are trying to finish last, he maybe your man.

Braves sign Scott Proctor

Eli Greenspan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:37:51 -0000

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The Braves have agreed to a deal with free agent reliever Scott Proctor, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Proctor missed all of the 2009 season, likely attributed to pitching in 83 games in back-to-back seasons. However, the Braves hope Proctor can be the effective reliever he was, but likely in a reduced role.

Proctor, who will be 32 in January, is 16-10 in 262 career games with a 4.42 ERA.

Atlanta Braves sign reliever Scott Proctor

gondeee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:43:33 -0000

Here is the scoop from TCPalm's (regional Florida newspaper) website:

Pitcher Scott Proctor will return to the mound in 2010.

Proctor, the Martin County native, has reached an agreement with the Atlanta Braves on a one-year contract for the 2010 season, according to Proctor's Palm City-based agent Mark Rodgers.

Proctor was released by the Florida Marlins in October after missing the entire 2009 season because of Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

"The Braves were very aggressive in their pursuit of Scott," Rodgers said Wednesday "They made it clear from the day the Marlins' released Scott that they had a strong interest in signing him to help improve their bullpen. It was obvious to me that the Braves appreciate Scott's track record with the Yankees and Dodgers. I am confident that Atlanta's needs in the bullpen best matched up with Scott's abilities."

The Braves had pursued Proctor way back in 2006 and 2007, so he is a guy they have long coveted. He'll be coming back from Tommy John Surgery, but if can do that successfully, then we have just added a strong and experienced bullpen arm for under a million dollars who doesn't yet have to occupy a space on the 40-man roster. It's a very worthwhile gamble to take on a reliever who could have a huge impact at some point next season.

Good first move of the off-season, Frank Wren. Now we're just waiting on the official word about Tim Hudson.

[UPDATE 1:30pm:]

Per MLBTR, here is an interesting tidbit:

Jeff Euston of Cot's Baseball Contracts informed me that Proctor would "have to spend all but about 21 days on the 25-man to qualify as a free agent after 2010." He'll probably need all of April in the minors, meaning the Braves could retain Proctor for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player if he has a successful '10 campaign.

Some confusing verbiage there, but essentially we could keep him in the minors and off the 25-man roster until mid-May and thus retain him for the 2011 season. So we just picked up a year and a half of an experienced work-horse reliever. This deal is looking even better, with potentially more upside, and no need to really rush Proctor back next spring.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:16:37 -0000

More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

If you only read roughly a dozen blog posts about the Brewers today, make sure one of them is Miller Park Drunk's argument that the pitching staff wasn't as bad as you think, and Dave Bush might have been the key to the season.

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Some things to read while reconsidering your tuna melt strategies.

The Journal-Sentinel released their final grades for 2009's team and individual performances over the weekend, and as Miller Park Drunk predicted, they're a joke. Seth McClung also responded to his grade.

I'm not going to bother responding to any of the respective grades, because it's not worth the time. Instead, I'll point you to Wezen-ball's grades, which are both funnier and every bit as relevant.

Meanwhile, the Brewers could be close to announcing a deal with a new pitching coach, as Rick Peterson confirmed interest in the job over the weekend. (FanShot) He's been out of coaching for a year while he's worked with Dr. James Andrews, Al Leiter and Tom Glavine to develop a company devoted to assessing the biomechanics of little leaguers to prevent injury. This quote says volumes about what he might be looking to do in Milwaukee:

"I'm looking for a home that embraces this philosophy and wants to implement it throughout the organization," Peterson said.

Maybe I'm wrong and that's exactly what needs to be done. Certainly, if anyone is qualified to evaluate and adjust the mechanics of young pitchers, it's probably Peterson. With that said, the Brewers have a somewhat shaky track record of "adjusting" pitcher deliveries that ends with the opposite of the desired result: ineffectiveness and injury. So, Peterson's quote raised a red flag for me.

By the way, pitching is what doomed the 2009 Brewers, but Miller Park Drunk makes the argument that it wasn't the foregone conclusion that many argue it was.

Mark Attanasio issued an open letter to the fans over the weekend, reviewing the high points of 2009 and promising not to settle for the status quo in 2010. Regardless of how you feel about the 2009 Brewers and the effort that went into putting them together, I think this reminder of how far the Brewers have come is very important:

Only a few years ago, achieving a .500 record would have been acceptable, but posting 80 wins this year satisfied neither you nor the organization. This higher standard demonstrates how far we have come in raising our expectations and how much our performance has improved.

Casa de Machado has an open letter of their own regarding possible responses if the Brewers decide to trade Ryan Braun.

In the minors and winter leagues:

The list won't be available online until Wednesday, but Tom H. is reporting that Alcides Escobar will be sixth in Baseball America's rankings of the top 20 prospects in the Pacific Coast League this season. Mat Gamel will be 13th and Angel Salome will be 18th.
If you didn't stop by over the weekend, you might have missed my post sorting Brewer minor leaguers by position and MLE.
The Venezuelan Winter League opened play on Friday, and while MLB.com's stats page is still displaying last year's stats and the scoreboards also don't appear to work, I do have some box scores from yesterday. Adam Heether went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in Caracas' 8-6 win over Aragua, and Hernan Iribarren batted leadoff and went 1-for-5 with a run scored in Lara's 7-5 loss to Magallanes. Iribarren also hit a home run over the weekend.

The Arizona Fall League opens this week, and I'm hoping there will be better stat tracking systems in place by then.

There's a strange symmetry in lumping a power ranking together with a tournament to determine who sucks the most:

Beyond the Box Score ranked the Brewers 21st in their final power rankings.
Brew City Sports has moved on to the second round in their tournament to determine 2009's worst Brewer.

Around baseball:

D-Backs: Acquired Tony Abreu from the Dodgers as the PTBNL in the Jon Garland trade, and designated pitcher Bobby Korecky for assignment.
Marlins: Released pitchers Scott Proctor and Dave Davidson.
White Sox: Outfielder Dewayne Wise declined an outright assignment to AAA and is now a free agent.

A quick side note on the Abreu deal mentioned above: The Dodgers and D-Backs have had an agreement regarding Abreu for some time now, but the deal had to wait until this weekend because of a grievance Abreu had filed against the Dodgers regarding some service time lost while on the DL in 2007. If/when the Brewers decide to deal J.J. Hardy this offseason, they could run into a similar problem.

Apparently all managerial searches this offseason must include at least one bad candidate. Last week I mentioned that Ned Yost was being reported as a candidate in both Cleveland and Houston, and this week we have news that Bob Brenly might be a candidate in Washington.

Speaking of Houston, they're once again going to use an open interview process to select their next manager. This seems like a great PR move and I don't know why more teams don't do it this way.

Thanks to Beyond the Box Score for directing my attention to both of the following links:

The Biz of Baseball has an in-depth look at the financial windfall involved in making the playoffs, both short and long term.
3-D Baseball has an exhaustive look at FIP, and its uses and misuses.

The Twins and Cardinals have both been sent home from the postseason, but at least we still know they have a great personality.

On this day in 1982, Paul Molitor set a new World Series record by picking up five hits in Game 1 as the Brewers beat the Cardinals 10-0.

Happy birthday today to Casey McGehee, who turns 27, Jose Valentin, who turns 40, and Garth Iorg, the roving instructor who briefly served as the third base coach of the 2008 Brewers, who turns 55.

Oh, and maybe it's worked in the past, but when you're trying to fend off elimination, starting off the day with 12 strips of bacon and a Red Bull seems like a bad idea.

Drink up.

E! True Hollywood Story: Baseball Wives (I can only hope they're playing it fast and loose with "True")

CrazyYankeeChick — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:26:08 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

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Having seen only one other E! True Hollywood Story, I'm not really sure what to expect when I start watching the documentary on baseball wives. For 1 hour, I'm served a glimpse of the unconventional lifestyles punctuating the routines of relationships mired in MLB careers.

Along with Casey Daigle, Scott Proctor, and Cole Hamels, Jorge Posada discusses married life and demonstrates why baseball news shouldn't be funneled through E! any more than the Super Bowl should be watched in the Pottery Barn.

Laura Posada recounts how Jorge and Derek Jeter met her at a bar one night, and from then on he essentially stalked her for months until he left for the season, but not without exchanging dramatic embraces at the train station.

If this is true, then Posada is either a charming romantic or borderline creepy,

"He left CDs in my mailbox for months," Laura tells us. Alright, I love Posada as much as the next guy, but I don't care who you are, if you're leaving anything in my mailbox for months, let alone obsessive music compilations, you're getting earmarked for a restraining order.

So I prefer to believe it's not true, because the only time this gratuitously cliched storyline plays out is if James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes are recreating it.

Cole Hamels and Survivor stripper Heidi Strobel shared a similar grandiose gesture affair, when he asked for her autograph at a minor league game. Then flew out to MIssouri the next day to meet her parents. Standard courtship behavior.

How is this possible? I've dated guys for the duration of the off-season without them ever stepping foot inside my parents' house. And truthfully, I'd like to believe that the World Series MVP isn't a dreamy-eyed softie who pants after a woman who, while adorably sweet, actually said, "I mean, people need to realize it's just a game."

I've killed people for less.

Casey Daigle and Jennie Finch used their time on camera constructively, as they continued to attempt putting the question to bed once and for all which one of them is more mindnumbingly dull. By the show's conclusion, they remained in dead heat, and we are no closer to an answer.

Former Yankee reliever Scott Proctor married his quasi-high school sweetheart, and out of everything Carrie and Scott talked about, the most hilarious line was easily from Mrs. Proctor:

"I know girls are going to be obnoxious and try to make photos that look like they're going home with him, but I know better."

And such is, and will remain, the official party line of every baseball wife.

The show tried in earnest to portray these couples as transcending the stereotypes of trophy wives who turn a blind eye to their husbands transgressions. And there were admittedly endearing segments, such as Heidi Hamels shedding a genuine tear over her husband's championship. Or Posada recalling the emotional rollercoaster of his son's medical hardships.

But overall, the entire production seemed a little too laden with "The woman doth protest too much." Each wife underscored how they've risen above the temptations and pitfalls, and for some reason, I wasn't buying it.

And yet I'm still profoundly impacted by what I saw.

Not because of the touching moments of genuine sensitivities, though. "E! True Hollywood Story: Baseball Wives" encroached on sacred ground. Posada, Proctor, Daigle, and Hamels play baseball (some more convincingly than others, but semantics).

The fact of the matter is, as a baseball fan, I have a natural vested interest in the players populating the field. But what they do in their free time is immaterial.

And now E! has effectively penetrated that bubble I choose to live in. Thank you, E. Now every time I watch Posada throw out a base stealer or hit an RBI double, I'm going to think about him putting an engagement ring in a cheesecake.

E!'s 'Baseball Wives'

craig — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:34:09 -0000

After today's game, you may want to check this program out on E!.

E! has a rarity tonight, a show with "wives" in the title that is entertaining without being sensational or sleazy.

Baseball Wives celebrates women whose husbands have pressure-packed, public occupations, which can elevate you to celebrity status and set you up for life or brand you a failure at an age when many people are just getting started in their careers.

Not so sure about that failure thing, but anyway.

I had the privilege of sitting at all of the home games in the family section of a major league baseball team for a number of years. And while I met very few of the players, I did get to know their wives. (Before you go all stupid on me, get your minds out of the gutter.) It was very interesting since they live such an unique lifestyle with some of them slugging their way through the minors, along with their husbands, for very little pay in hopes of staying in the majors. Naturally, I have many stories to tell about their experiences, and who knows, (don't want to let Dan down) one day, I will tell them.

I just hope E! handles the story well, the way it should be told.

Scott Proctor's wife is one of the ones featured.

Around the Yankee Universe: Waiting for more on CC

Ed Valentine — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:00:20 -0000

While we hold our collective breath and hope not to explode waiting for more news on CC Sabathia's "bicep tightness," let's look around at some other stories making news around the Yankee Universe.

A couple of observations before we get to the links.

Can we please, please not have any more of Brett Tomko in winnable games? Tomko and his 6.28 ERA are the classic example of the journeyman mop-up guy. He belongs in games the Yankees are losing, chewing up innings when it's obvious the team isn't going to win. He has not business being in games the Yankees actually are winning, or have a chance to win. He posted ERAs of 5.55 and 6.30 the past two seasons, and his implosion Sunday (three runs in two innings) cost the Yankees a winnable game. David Robertson or Phil Hughes have got to be in the game in that spot. Besides that, how much longer can the Yankees carry Tomko and let Mark Melancon (2.48 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) languish at AAA. Gotta give him a full shot before the trade deadline I would think.
Where has the Yankee offense gone? I will forgive the Josh Johnson game because the Florida right-hander is outstanding, but for the most part the offense has been pathetic since battering Johan Santana of the Mets in a 15-0 victory. I'm not jumping off any bridges, and you shouldn't either, but there is no way the Yankees should have gone 2-4 against the Nationals and Marlins.

Now, follow the jump to get to a few other stories of interest.

Is it possible that the Yankees might actually win Manager Joe Girardi's protest of Florida's eighth-inning lineup snafu? The New York Times seems to think it's possible. I would be astounded if the Yankees actually got another shot at those last two innings.
Peter Abraham ran down a list Sunday of possible trade targets for General Manager Brian Cashman. The first name on his list was the versatile Mark DeRosa of Cleveland. If the Yankees want to stick to their new plan to give A-Rod more rest, DeRosa is better than anyone else the Yanks could play at third base. He could also help the Yankees at the corner outfield positions, giving them an alternative to living with Nick Swisher's slumps.
Great piece in the New York Times Sunday about former Yankee and currently disabled Marlin Scott Proctor. It seems that Proctor has admitted to being an alcoholic, and says that is what ultimately got him traded out of the pinstripes. I always loved Proctor. If he is healthy, and sober, I would be perfectly OK with the Yankees bringing him to camp next season as a non-roster guy and giving him a chance. If you haven't the Times piece on Proctor, go do it.
Since I mentioned Proctor, I have to mention the fact there is concern in Los Angeles that Joe Torre might be pushing his key relievers too hard. Gee, where have we heard that before? And, should we be surprised? Here is my take on Torre and relievers. I know his track record is filled with exploded elbows and shredded shoulders, but can you really blame the guy? His job is to win, and these middle relief or setup guys seems to have a short shelf life, anyway. You can't really depend on them from one year to the next. I can't really kill him for riding guys who are getting the job done. Especially when you know that while he was managing the Yankees fans would have killed him for losing games while his best guys rested. And you know you would have been killing him.
In honor of the U.S. Open golf tournament being played ... and played ... and played at rainy Bethpage, NBC Sports has put together lists of the best players to ever come from Long Island. They have separate lists for position players and pitchers. A fun read.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Braden Looper does not need your strikeouts.

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Some things to read while not getting the joke.

Or, if you're Frank Catalanotto, today's Mug could be something to read while heading to Arizona. The Brewers signed Catalanotto to a minor league deal yesterday, and he's expected to head to Maryvale for extended spring training before reporting to Huntsville or Nashville (also noted in FanShot).

There's speculation out there that Catalanotto will be prepared to replace one of the Brewers' existing bench players, but CZWief doesn't think the Brewers need him. I think there's a simpler explanation: He's a 12 year veteran who plays multiple positions, and his best season was in 2001 with the Rangers, where his GM was Doug Melvin. Welcome to the fold, newest Gritty Former Ranger.

Of course, the current bench players aren't doing much to keep themselves on the team. The Junkball Blues notes that the current bench is responsible for about 9% of the team's runs, down from 17% last season.

Braden Looper returns to the mound tonight for the Brewers, taking on Ricky Nolasco. The B-Ref Stat of the DAy shows Looper's April 22 start as the second best start in baseball this season by a pitcher who didn't record a strikeout. Brewer studio analyst Jerry Augustine, by the way, has the seventh best of all time.

Sports Illustrated released a list of baseball's five best and worst owners, with Mark Attanasio nowhere to be found and four owners from the AL East represented. Big League Stew wonders if Mark Attanasio should have been mentioned, and I tend to agree.

Today's minor league notes aren't pretty:

Jeremy Jeffress got shelled last night, giving up six runs in 1 2/3 innings. His 2009 ERA is now up over 7.
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are still below .500 and tied for last place, and the local media is starting to ask if they're a disappointment.

Around the league:

D-Backs: Conor Jackson has been placed on the DL with an unknown illness.
Marlins: Scott Proctor will have Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Red Sox: Placed Kevin Youkilis on the DL with a strained rib cage muscle.
Tigers: Designated reliever Juan Rincon for assignment.

Generally speaking, I'm a fan of the Brewer front office staff and ownership. There are times when I feel like they could do more or do better, but I feel like they're making a solid effort to put together a good, fan-friendly team. With that said, I'd love it if they'd do something like this post from Paul DePodesta, full of injury reports on minor league prospects straight from someone in the front office.

Every now and then there's some grumbling around here about the Brewers' decision to play Jason Kendall enough last season to guarantee his contract for 2009. If you thought that was bad, check this out: 36-year-old Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez needs 334 plate appearances the rest of the season to trigger a clause in his contract that would pay him $33 million over the next two seasons.

Oh, and if you're a pitcher who missed most of last season with a hip injury, you probably shouldn't be trying to catch an alligator on your off day.

Drink up.