SB Nation - Jason Tyner

New York Yankees notes: Much hinges on Damon's decision

Ed Valentine — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:21:46 -0000

Who is in left field? Who is at designated hitter? Those are the basic lineup questions about our New York Yankees right now, and they all hinge -- of course -- on whether Johnny Damon will accept a contract offer from the Yankees much shorter and less lucrative than uber-agent Scott Boras would like.

Meanwhile, there is much discussion of other options should Damon decide to walk. GM Brian Cashman can talk about Juan Miranda all he wants, but we all know that is incredibly unlikely to happen.

By the way, with the Rule 5 drafting of Jason Hoffmann another question seems to be whether or not speedster Brett Gardner will be part of the outfield mix. Seems the Chicago White Sox, and possibly the Kansas City Royals, are asking about Gardner's availability.

Personally, I love Gardner. Some folks think Jason Tyner or Joey Gathright -- speedy slap hitters who have never hit enough to play regularly, when they look at Gardner. To me, he's a lot closer to Scott Podsednik, a guy who can hit enough, defend and wreak havoc on the bases. Obviously, it's not going to be with the Yankees, but I still believe Gardner can play regularly -- and do it well -- for somebody.

I mentioned Hoffmann, the Rule 5 pick, earlier. He seems like a useful reserve outfielder with some tools, and The Baseball Analysts are wondering why the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to be trying so hard to lose him.

So why wasn't he on the 40 man roster, and why was he DFAed in September? The answer seems to be that he was redundant on the Dodgers. The 4th outfielder role is currently held down by Xavier Paul. Jason Repko also sits higher on the blue totem pole. I would have been surprised to see anyone grab Trayvon Robinson in the rule 5 draft, but if the Dodgers perceived that as a threat, it could certainly be argued that he deserves protection more than Hoffman.

Perhaps it just says more about the Yankees than the Dodgers. The Yankees currently have 4 outfielders on the 40-man roster. The first two, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher, are clearly going to be penciled into most Yankees line-ups in 2010. The other two outfielders would be lucky to be penciled in at all. Melky Cabrera is a glorified backup centerfielder. He simply does not have the production to justify being played in a corner outfield position. With the Granderson acquisition, Melky will be reduced to being a 2nd choice centerfielder, and a last choice corner outfielder. The last outfielder, Brett Gardner is not even a good option for a 4th outfielder. How Gardner has still has a job confuses me.

Hoffman would fit in well as a 4th outfielder. He can play any outfield position, and his production will likely justify his being played on a corner. He isn't a great base stealer, but he has speed on the bases, making him a good option as a pinch runner. So this replacement-level outfielder, the 6th choice outfielder on the Dodgers, would be the starting left fielder on the current Yankees roster. This was clearly a good choice for the yankees. It was also very bad planning on the part of the Dodgers if they had any interest in keeping Hoffman.

Obviously, I disagree about Gardner. I do think, though, that Melky is a better fit than Gardner as a fourth outfielder because of his ability to play the corners and to switch hit. Nonetheless, this is kind of thought-provoking.

If you are in the 'Don't trade for Roy Halladay' camp, otherwise known as the Jesus Montero Fan Club, you will hate this quote from Cashman.

"I’m hesitant to move certain young players because of what they can do for us in the here and now or in the future and the salary off-set they provide. At the same time, for the right player, I’ll move anybody."

That doesn't mean Halladay is the right player. It just means he might be, so stay tuned.

The Big Lead, maybe the best general sports blog on the planet, had a nice interview with new Yankee Curtis Granderson the other day.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is talking about his team taking a step back in 2010 to be more competitive down the road. Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy isn't buying what Theo is selling. Neither am I.

Twins Sign Mark Grudzielanek to Minor League Contract

Jesse — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:37:22 -0000

I'm surprised. Are you surprised? We shouldn't be surprised, it's a quintessential Twins move.

Mark Grudzielanek

#?? / Second Base / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 30, 1970

The following occurred between 12:45 and 12:46 pm CDT today:

Jesse: Grudz?
Jesse: Really?
Seth: Ya...just had it confirmed, too.
Jesse: Why am I surprised?

I don't want to set anyone up with the wrong idea here, because there are merits to this signing and I'll get to them later, but honestly: why was I surprised? The Twins organization has done a fantastic job over the years of acquiring veterans in twilight in the hope that they can provide some kind of depth or leadership. I could also add production, but that hasn't always been the case.

These signings have all fallen under one of two categories. Either these veterans were A) washed up and we all knew it (James Baldwin, Jesse Orosco, Juan Castro, Bret Boone, Ruben Sierra, Tony Batista, Phil Nevin, Jeff Cirillo, Ramon Ortiz, Sidney Ponson, Craig Monroe, Livan Hernandez, the return of Eddie Guardado, Luis Ayala, Sean Henn) or B) all things considered weren't a bad gamble (Tom Prince, Rick Reed, Kenny Rogers, Henry Blanco, Jose Offerman, Terry Mulholland, Pat Borders, Mike Redmond, Rondell White, Jason Tyner, Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, R.A. Dickey). Of course, whether or not any of column B actually worked out is another matter altogether. But you're catching my drift, and I didn't even list all of Joe Mauer's third catchers.

Now we can officially add one Mark Grudzielanek to that list. I think the reason this signing surprised me is because Grudz was a free agent. It was almost too easy. Of course if the Twins were in contact with Grudz, you can bet they were probably in contact with Ray Durham, too. Let's get to the actual analysis of this deal.

Contract

Minnesota has offered Grudzielanek a minor league deal, and he'll report to a Gulf Coast League squad in Florida. He made $4.5 million with the Kansas City Royals in 2008, but suffice it to say he won't be making anywhere near that much this year. Financial terms haven't been disclosed, but I'd be surprised if it cracks the one million mark. It sounds like he did have offers in the off-season, being a Type B free agent, but he declined those offers.

Age

This is the bit that everyone is going to focus on: Grudz is 39. Most guys are out of the league by this time, whether that's by choice or not, but here's something to keep in mind: even at 38 he was a good player.

Offense

Patience & Discipline: Grudz hasn't really been a guy who walks a lot over the course of his career, but he makes up for that by being a great contact hitter. He makes contact on over 90% of his swings, and goes outside of the zone at right around the league average rate. Again, the walk rates (5% of plate appearances) are low, but Alexi Casilla (6%) and Brendan Harris (7%) aren't walk machines, either. He sees roughly 3.5 pitches per plate appearance.

Power: He's a career .395 slugger, .106 isolated power. As a full-time player he's always been good for plenty of doubles, but as far as the long-ball goes he's a middle infielder. This is a secondary concern for anyone playing second base.

Batted Ball: Grudz is a line-drive hitter. A lot of analysts will say that hitting line drives isn't a repeatable skill, and that might be accurate, but when you're hitting them at a rate that's better than league average year after year after year, something is going well.

Defense

Arm: This has never been a problem. He spent a lot of time at shortstop for the Expos earlier in his career, but for a guy who would be playing exclusively at second base, the arm is fine.

Range: Oddly enough, for a guy who was 38 last season his range didn't fall off too much. The problem is that he is a bit older, and having lost that first step does mean something. That's reflected in defensive metrics like UZR/150, which came in at 5.3 in 2008. Still above average, which is very much in line with Grudzielanek's history, it's just not what it was.

Conclusions

There are a lot of positives here; just not as many as we'd hoped as fans rooting for someone like Freddy Sanchez. This is a move that has zero risk for the Twins, who are still counting on Casilla to get the job done. If Casilla faulters again, it's not as though Minnesota would be wasting a roster spot by calling on Grudzielanek. The biggest focus as far as positives go though, and it's a big one, is this: it's not going to take much to improve on what the Twins have been given from second base this season. If Grudz is ready by the middle of August, comes up and hits .280/.330/.380, that's an improvement. As far as his defense goes, there would have to be something desperately wrong for him to have suddenly turned into a negative player in the field. For a guy like this, his offensive skills may disappear, but the glove will linger on.

What does leave me slightly disappointed is the fact that this is such a by-the-numbers move for the Twins. There's no risk here, but sometimes that's exactly what a team needs for a boost: a risk. A sign that, yes, dammit, this organization believes in you so much that we went out and put our own asses on the line. Sometimes I get the sense that the front office forgets that everything about baseball is a two-way street, it's all a relationship, from the fans to the players to the front office.

Baseball is a business. By that definition, picking up a guy like Grudzielanek is a good move simply because getting a guy to play league average anything at second base constitutes an upgrade. But I just had my sights on something a bit more substantial.

There's still time.

Poll

Which list does Grudz belong on?

A) He's washed up and we all know it.

53 votes

B) All things considered, not a bad signing.

245 votes

C) I've already ordered my "Grudz" jersey.

33 votes

331 votes | Poll has closed

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:48:39 -0000

More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

I guess the beard is staying now.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while wearing neckerchiefs and tassels.

As the Phillies series, the first Brewer series win of 2009, drifts away in the rear view mirror, the biggest story of all three games may turn out to be the starting pitchers:

Yesterday, Dave Bush threw a near no-hitter in front of his hometown. FanGraphs has a look at his stuff, which might not have been as good as one would expect, given the results.
Wednesday, Braden Looper continued to be the Brewers' most consistent starting pitcher. Chuckie Hacks compares his early season small sample size performance to CC Sabathia.
Tuesday, Manny Parra painted himself into a corner, but Cute Sports has figured out his problem.

If Dave Bush hadn't thrown a near no-hitter, the story of yesterday's game would have been the line drive off the bat of Prince Fielder that hit Cole Hamels in the shoulder and removed him from the game. Hamels has a contusion and is expected to make his next start.

The Brewers are now 2-0 since changing up their lineup: Mike Cameron hit fifth yesterday, moving J.J. Hardy down to sixth. I don't know if this is a permanent move, but while Cameron is putting up MVP-caliber numbers and Hardy is hitting under .150, it's hard not to make a move at this point.

Speaking of early moves, Carlos Villanueva is not upset about being removed from the interim closer's role, and given his early performance, he has no right to be.

R.J. Swindle continues to amaze stat geeks everywhere: Beyond the Box Score has more Pitch f/x graphs from his debut Tuesday.

Meanwhile, David Riske's DL stay could turn out to be longer than he expected. He's going to begin a rehab program to attempt to fix some "laxity" in the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, but may need Tommy John surgery if rehab doesn't fix it.

Some minor notes:

Cole Gillespie, who had been DH'ing in Brevard County, is finally ready to play everyday and reported to Nashville yesterday.
To make room for him, the Brewers assigned Jason Tyner to the Tigers. It's kind of like a trade, except the Brewers receive nothing in return.
Mat Gamel continues to rake in AAA, and made Prospect Paradise's list of hot starting prospects.

Maybe Mat Gamel's early performance has boosted franchise value: Forbes Magazine has valued the Brewer franchise at $347 million, 24th in all of baseball and up 5% from last season. (Also noted in FanShot)

Taking two of three in Philadelphia has caused some to notice the Brewers again: MLB FanHouse upgraded the Brewers from 25th to 23rd in their power rankings.

Elsewhere around the league:

Angels: Placed Darren Oliver on the DL with back stiffness.
Blue Jays: Placed B.J. Ryan (shoulder) and Ricky Romero (side) on the DL.
Cubs: Designated Luis Vizcaino for assignment and may DL Milton Bradley.
Mets: Nelson Figueroa refused his assignment to AAA and is now a free agent.
~~Orioles~~ Rangers: Placed Kris Benson on the DL with elbow tendinitis.
Also Rangers: Placed reliever Willie Eyre on the DL with a groin strain. They also claimed Darren O'Day off waivers from the Mets.
Red Sox: Acquired Kason Gabbard from the Rangers for cash.

Major League Baseball is a highly successful product in and of itself, and MLBAM also continues to make great strides, so I guess it only makes sense that MLB would decide to hedge its bets by also investing in a failing industry and opening an online newspaper. Best of luck to them.

Meanwhile, they're still not working on resolving blackout issues. In fact, one cable provider is directing customers to call The Biz of Baseball for more information on the policy.

Wes Helms is likely still one of the worst everyday players in Brewer history, and the fact that he enjoys kickboxing does not change that.

Oh, and even if you're a dog, relieving yourself on the field is grounds for ejection.

Drink up.

Brewers Assign Jason Tyner to Tigers

Jesse — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:37:15 -0000

You could call it a trade, but the only thing Milwaukee got out of the deal was roster space. Now property of the Detroit Tigers, Jason Tyner has made stops in three of the five AL Central locations. Here's a transcript of Tyner's first phone call after he got word that he was a Tiger.

Gardy: (Picks up phone) Hello?
Tyner: Hey Ron, it's Jason.
Gardy: Hey, Barty, how's Tampa Bay?
Tyner: No.
Gardy: Kubel? Listen chump, if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, you need to shave off that ratty...
Tyner: (Interrupting) NO! It's Tyner. Jason TYNER!
Gardy: Oh. (Pause) Hi. (Pause) What's up?
Tyner: I just wanted to you know the Tigers want me.
Gardy: Hey, that's great buddy.
Tyner: Yeah, they were all like, 'you're fast' and 'you're versatile' and 'you're a gamer'. They really like me for those things.
Gardy: Awesome.
Tyner: You used to like me for those things.
Gardy: Listen, Jason...
Tyner: Save it, Colonel Sanders. I'm so over you. I've got a new AL Central team now. You can't have me. How does that make you feel?
Gardy: (Pause) My grandma is on fire. I have to go. (Hangs up)
Tyner: He'll call back.

Best wishes, Jason Tyner.

Brewers Give Jason Tyner to Tigers

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:05:14 -0000

Ever since you heard the news that Ryan Raburn was called up from Toledo to take Marcus Thames's place on the roster (and unfortunately, it looks like Thames is going to miss quite a bit of time), you were probably wondering how the other roster dominoes in the Detroit Tigers organization might fall. Right? Well, wonder no more, people.

This evening, the Tigers acquired outfielder Jason Tyner from the Milwaukee Brewers to take Raburn's spot in Toledo. In exchange, Detroit gives up... nothing?

Fill us in, Jon Paul Morosi:

Dan Lunetta, the Tigers’ director of minor league operations, said the Brewers assigned Tyner’s contract to the Detroit organization. It didn’t appear that any cash or other players were involved in the transaction.

So it was pretty much just, "Okay, take him"? "You go ahead and pay him"? All righty then.

The 32-year-old Tyner has a nine-year major league career, playing with the Mets, Rays, and Twins, and sipping a cup of coffee last year with the Indians. His career batting average is .275/.314/.323, and he's seen time in all three outfield positions. Tyner's best season was 2007, when he played in 114 games with the Twins, batting .286/.331/.355 with one homer and 22 RBIs in 328 plate appearances.

Tyner was playing for the Brewers' Triple-A team in Nashville this season. In nine games, he was hitting .095/.167/.095 in 23 plate appearances.

(via MLB Trade Rumors and Phenom1984 on Twitter)

Purging in Minor League Camp

farm_stros — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:00:14 -0000

While the big league roster was being pared down this week, 20 players were released from minor league camp to make room for the upcoming crop or prospects.

A few players of note who were released:

Tip Fairchild, 25, RHP(drafted in 2005). Fairchild has not recovered from Tommy John surgery near the beginning of the 2007 season.

Billy Hart,26, OF(drafted in 2005). Hart won the Carolina League batting title in 2007. However his age and .260 average at AA last season led to his release.

Eduin Ciriaco, 23, LHP(Dominican, 2005). Ciriaco had a 2.65 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings at Tri-City last summer. My guess is his age was a factor.

The others released:

Colt Adams, RHP, 23

Corey Bass, RHP, 24

Anthony Bello, LHP, 23

Jeff Eure, 3B, 28

Cat Everett, SS, 23

Jimmy Goethals, C, 26

Pascual Juan, LHP, 24

Michael Koons, RHP, 23

Josh Pressley, 1B, 29

David Qualben, LHP, 23

Jason Romano, OF, 29

Brett Robinson, RHP, 24

Ole Sheldon, 1B, 26

Jason Tyner, OF, 31

Tom Vessella, LHP, 23

Sean Walker, RHP, 26

Average != Bad

R.J. Anderson — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:13:37 -0000

Unbelievably, when a player is "average", that does not mean they're bad. It means average. As in: better than replacement level and fringe level, worse than superstar level and above average level. An "average" player is still worth ~2 WAR, mainly because replacement players are awful and yet still make up most of the minor league population (in terms of skills translating to major league success) which means average players are a valuable commodity.

Applying this information tells us of a difference in classification when dealing with average and replacement levels of talent. Ray Olmedo is a replacement-level infielder. The "average" version of him might be Asdrubal Cabrera. Gabe Gross is an "average" outfielder. Jason Tyner is a poor man's Gabe Gross. This will sound odd, but average talent is still good talent.

Smart teams recognize this and add average players in their cost-controlled seasons, less smart teams pay big money to these same players during free agency. Smart teams realize that fringe level players should be paid as such; others sign Aaron Miles for two years and 4.9 million. Generally though, unless your team is full of superstars (it's not) you can do a lot worse than having average players fill bench slots.

Bumped due to Burrell swamping yesterday.