SB Nation - Jeff Salazar

Jeff Salazar, Bryan Bullington Become Free Agents

Charlie — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:16:22 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

8 months ago: Pittsburgh Pirates' Jeff Salazar, right, steals second before the tag of Cincinnati Reds' shortstop Adam Rosales in the bottom of the ninth inning of the spring training baseball game in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 30, 2009. Salazar went on to score the game winning run on a hit bit Jason Jaramillo in the Pirates 3-2 win. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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Since we're at the point in the year where there's nothing to care about except little things, here's some news: a bunch of guys just became minor league free agents. The only Pirate on the list is Jeff Salazar, who went 1-for-23 for the Bucs this year. Salazar probably needed to hit better this season to have much of a shot at a real major-league career, which is too bad; he has an .826 career minor league OPS (albeit in some pretty hospitable hitting environments, like Tucson and Colorado Springs), and it's a shame he never got more of a shot. Most guys who stick as fourth outfielders begin their careers as starters, like Brandon Moss this year; guys like Salazar who have the skillset but are never lucky enough to be confused for starters usually don't make it.

Also on the list of minor league free agents are former Pirate #1-overall picks Kris Benson and Bryan Bullington. Bullington actually pitched very well for the Jays' Class AAA affiliate in Las Vegas, but he didn't make an appearance there after June. The list also includes Chris Duffy, Chris Shelton, and Craig Stansberry.

Other vaguely interesting names on the list: Phil Humber (third overall pick by the Mets in 2004, acquired by Twins in the Johan Santana trade, stalled in the high minors), IF Wilson Betemit (former top Braves prospect, still not that old, bad season in the White Sox organization but versatile and potentially still useful), RP Javier Lopez (again, a terrible season, but he's one year removed from being one of the majors' more effective relievers), RP Greg Aquino (consistently good minor league numbers; certainly a better option than the Denny Bautistas of the world), RP Vinnie Chulk (ditto), RP Jon Switzer (same), RP Joe Nelson (actually a totally decent MLB pitcher for the Rays last year, and a terrific one for the Marlins in 2008), and lefty SP Travis Blackley (former top Mariners prospect finally seems to be pitching with better control in his late 20s and still hasn't been used exclusively as a reliever, where he might find his niche).

Nothing big here, but I'd be mildly psyched to see the Bucs sign Blackley, in particular.

Thanks to WTM.

Tuesday Rockpile: Injury Updates Galore

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:09:10 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Take it easy Troy. We'll need you next week. And the next. And the next. And the next.

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The impalpable yet quietly lingering elephant in the room during the Rockies' hot streak under Jim Tracy was their extreme luck with injuries. No major ingredients went down, but that good luck has started to catch up to the Rockies, although luckily, we're dodging the big bullets. As Troy Renck notes, the Rockies are banged up, but not backing down. Renck notes 8 of the last 10 Rockie wins were of the come-from-behind variety.

The little hurts still have become a pain for Rockies, who won yesterday despite seeing their offensive and pitching MVP's suffer an injury. Ubaldo Jimenez tweaked his hamstring while scoring the first run of the game. Jimenez will push his bullpen session from Wednesday to Thursday but still expects to make his scheduled start Saturday. He held serve and threw a quality start (though it was statistically his worst since I started shaving - (okay not quite)).

"On my breaking ball it was good, but on my fastball it hurt when I pushed off and when I landed," Jimenez said. - Saunders

Troy Tulowitzki strained his lower back while driving in the tying run in the second. He suffered a similar injury in spring training and rested a couple days, but you can bet his patience is a great deal smaller in September. He's listed as day-to-day and could return as early as tonight.

"This is different. That was spring training, this is September and it's important for me to be out there" said Tulowitzki. - Saunders

What obviously must be stated is that this week against Cincinnati and San Diego is the least critical stretch of the schedule remaining this season. Tulowitzki and Jimenez are the most invaluable pieces to this team's success, and the last thing I want to see is either rush back prematurely to face the Matt Maloney's and Luis Rodriguez' of the baseball world. Take your time. We'll need you in October.

Jack Etkin reports that closer Huston Street has taken the first step in returning, throwing 20 times from 50-60 feet yesterday with no complications. The Rockies goal is to get his feet wet in San Diego this weekend, if all goes well, so he'll be rust-free Monday against the Giants..

Aaron Cook will throw off a mound later this week as well.

Castoffs Paying Dividends In NL West

Eric Stephen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:09:19 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Has Jason Giambi been a good acquisition so far for the Rockies? Yes, yes he has been.

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With all the hype surrounding the non-waiver trading deadline of July 31, there have been some moves made after that date that have been useful, at least in the early returns, for the top three teams in the National League West. Here is a look at some of the key acquisitions by the Dodgers, Rockies, and Giants in August, as they prepare for the stretch drive.

Dodgers

Vicente Padilla was so disliked in the Rangers' clubhouse that some Texas teammates actually congratulated GM Jon Daniels when it was learned Padilla was released. The Dodgers, searching for a fifth starter all season, signed Padilla to a minor league contract on August 19. All Padilla has done since joining Los Angeles is pitch three good games, with the Dodgers winning all three.

Split	GS	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	FIP
Padilla with Tex	18	8-6	108.0	120	61	59	42	59	4.92	1.500	4.93
Padilla with LA	3	2-0	16.1	16	5	5	4	12	2.76	1.224	2.41

Ronnie Belliard struggled earlier this season, but he started to get hot with semi-regular playing time with the Nationals. Belliard was hitting .361/.400/.590 with the Nationals in August, before he was traded to the Dodgers on August 30. I jokingly invoked the name of Marlon Anderson, another ex-National who caught fire for the Dodgers in September 2006, but so far the comparison is apt, as Belliard has produced. With the opportunity to give Orlando Hudson more rest, and the hamstring injury to Casey Blake, Belliard has been more than just a bench player, starting seven of his eight games as a Dodger.

Split	G	PA	HR	RBI	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS
Belliard with Was	86	204	5	22	.246/.296/.374	.670
Belliard with LA	8	28	2	6	.370/.393/.667	1.067

I figured the Dodgers' roster moves were complete with the Belliard deal, but last Monday night proved me wrong. The Dodgers added Jon Garland and Jim Thome, adding some depth to the starting rotation and power to the bench, respectively. Garland, a workhorse who has pitched six innings or longer in 17 of his last 18 starts, won his Dodger debut last Thursday.

Split	GS	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	FIP
Garland with Ari	27	8-11	167.2	188	90	80	52	83	4.29	1.431	4.57
Garland with LA	1	1-0	7.0	5	2	2	1	6	2.57	0.857	3.71

Thome, limited to pinch hitting duty with his bad back, got a hit in his first Dodger at-bat. Assuming his foot injury isn't too serious, Thome will provide the Dodgers with a legitimate power threat off the bench over the next month or two and, knock on wood, a ready-made designated hitter in the World Series.

Split	G	PA	HR	RBI	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS	wOBA
Thome with CWS	107	417	23	74	.249/.372/.493	.864	.373
Thome with LA	3	3	0	0	.333/.333/.333	.667	.297

Rockies

Jason Giambi was signed by Colorado to a minor league contract on August 24, after being released by Oakland 17 days earlier. Giambi was activated once the rosters expanded, and quickly made himself at home with the Rockies:

September 1: Giambi pinch hit with the bases loaded in the 8th inning with a 7-3 lead over the Mets, and Giambi induced a walk in his first Rockies' plate appearance
September 2: Tied 2-2 with the Mets in the 8th inning, Giambi again came up with the bases loaded, this time delivering a go ahead, two-run single, in a game the Rockies would win 5-2
September 4: Tied 4-4 with Arizona in the 8th inning, Giambi again delivered a pinch single, driving in the go ahead and eventual winning run in a 5-4 Rockies win

Giambi became the third Rockies player in history to have a run batted in during each of his first three games with the club, joining Jeff Salazar (2006) and Steve Decker (1996).

Split	G	PA	HR	RBI	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS	wOBA
Giambi with Oak	83	328	11	40	.193/.332/.364	.697	.315
Giambi with Col	4	8	0	4	.400/.625/.400	1.025	.487

The Rockies also wanted to acquire Garland, but instead opted to trade for Jose Contreras of the White Sox. Despite his 5-13 record and 5.42 ERA with Chicago, Contreras wasn't having that bad of a season. His FIP was 4.14, and as Rockies Magic Number noted on Purple Row, Contreras figured to help the club as a fill in for the injured Aaron Cook. Remember, the Rockies had to start Josh Fogg against the Dodgers, so any kind of a warm body would have sufficed, but Contreras is much more than that.

Contreras did nothing to disprove his worth with his first outing in Colorado, allowing only one run over 6.2 innings in a win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Split	GS	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	FIP
Contreras with CWS	21	5-13	114.2	121	83	69	45	89	5.42	1.448	4.14
Contreras with Col	1	1-0	6.2	8	1	1	1	5	1.35	0.350	4.04

Giants

The Giants got Brad Penny off the scrap heap when he was dispatched by the Red Sox after posting a 5.61 ERA (and 4.59 FIP) over his 24 starts in Boston. All Penny did his first game back in the National League was own the World Champion Phillies, throwing eight shutout innings in Philadelphia last Wednesday. Penny came back today with another win, this time against the Padres.

Split	GS	W-L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	FIP
Penny with Bos	24	7-8	131.2	160	89	82	42	89	5.61	1.534	4.59
Penny with SF	2	2-0	15.0	8	2	2	2	8	1.20	0.667	3.33

Penny is scheduled to face the Dodgers, his old team from 2004 through last year, in each of the next two weekends.

Sure its early, but sometimes the big moves aren't the only ones that deserve all the headlines. In the case of the NL West, some minor moves have paid big dividends so far.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:23:50 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Jason Kendall looks over his shoulder after his throw to first wasn't in time to get Ivan Rodriguez in the third inning Sunday.

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Some things to read while never getting too old.

Welcome back to the Jason Kendall Era. After Mike Rivera went 3-for-6 with two home runs and was on base seven times while starting back to back games for the first time since 2006, Jason Kendall was back in the starting lineup Saturday and Sunday, and responded by going 1-for-5, getting intentionally walked (!), and getting hit by a pitch. The performance actually raised Kendall's OPS to .599. Brew City Sports thought the Brewers had finally figured it out, but no such luck.

If you're going to argue that Kendall's defensive prowess earns him a free pass, save it. Baseball Digest Daily ranked Kendall as baseball's 11th best defensive catcher in 2009. I'm having a hard time believing that Kendall's middle-of-the-road defense makes up for the fact that he's one of baseball's worst hitters.

On the plus side, his HBP Saturday was the 499th in Miller Park history, which opened the door for Felipe Lopez to pick up the 500th.

If you're coming up with a new stat, it's probably a good idea to give it a smell test. For example, Joe Posnanski came up with a new hitting stat over the weekend, and Jason Kendall is fifth from the bottom. That smells about right.

Meanwhile, Ken Macha is updating the schedule to slot Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan back into the rotation in the coming weeks. Suppan's rehab start in Wisconsin wasn't good enough to earn him an immediate return to the Brewers, so he'll make a start in Nashville on Thursday and could rejoin the team on August 25. Bush, meanwhile, will start for Wisconsin tomorrow, in Huntsville on Saturday and hopefully for the Brewers on the 27th.

While Suppan is in Nashville he'll most likely get a chance to say hello to J.J. Hardy, who's doing very little to prove he deserves to return to Milwaukee. Even though he was given three days to report to the Sounds, Hardy showed up late on Friday and was only available to pinch hit. Then, he hit a home run on Saturday, but went 0-for-4 again last night, making him 1-for-9 in his first three games. Beyond the Box Score did the math and says the Brewers are about 2.3 runs better over the course of a season with Escobar playing short.

Meanwhile, Jason Bourgeois is hoping to prove he belongs in the major leagues on a permanent basis. He picked up his first major league RBI in Friday's game and hasn't been heard from since.

Prince Fielder has an eight-game hitting streak going, and has hit .412/.447/.824 over that time. Yesterday he hit his 30th home run, becoming the first Brewer ever to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs in three straight seasons. Fielder has posted a .973 OPS in August, which is impressive enough, but he was actually better in May, June and July.

In the minors:

The Brewers were hoping to announce a deal with 2009 sandwich pick Kentrail Davis yesterday, but were unable to do so. Davis was at Miller Park yesterday, presumably to undergo a physical. Tom H. thinks a deal is done but is awaiting approval from the Commissioner's Office, which has to approve any deal for more than slot money.
If that deal is in fact done, the top two remaining unsigned picks would be high school pitcher Brooks Hall and shortstop Scooter Gennett, and the team is still negotiating with both of them.
2001 first round pick Mike Jones is expected to be promoted to Nashville today. After years of battling shoulder and elbow problems, this will be the first time Jones has been above AA.
Josh Butler, currently working his way back from injury in Arizona, will take Jones' spot in Huntsville.
Also noted in the previous link: The Brewers are expected to send Lorenzo Cain, Taylor Green, Jonathan Lucroy, Mark Rogers, Josh Butler and Zach Braddock to the Arizona Fall League. Braddock's selection will depend on his health. Even if he goes, the Brewers will need to select one more pitcher.

Casey McGehee is still not playing every day, but FanGraphs ranked him fifth in the race for NL Rookie of the Year. McGehee could be having quite the magical season if his knee and Ken Macha allowed him to play more often.

On Power Rankings and playoff odds:

THT's Dartboard has the Brewers at 19th.
MLB Playoff Odds gives the Brewers a 1.8% chance of making the playoffs.
CoolStandings gives them a 3.3% chance.

Around baseball:

Mets: Placed David Wright on the DL with a concussion.
Pirates Designated outfielder Jeff Salazar for assignment.
Rangers: Placed Nelson Cruz on the DL with a sprained ankle.
Red Sox: Acquired Alex Gonzalez from the Reds for a minor league infielder and designated Chris Woodward for assignment.
Rockies: Released Mike Timlin.

How do you get a black eye in a bar fight you weren't involved in? That's the question someone needs to ask Brett Myers, who missed a rehab start over the weekend with said eye injury. To make matters worse, Myers initially told the team and media he suffered the injury playing catch with his son, then changed the story to say he fell out of his car, sober.

At least she finished the race, which is more than many of us would do: Trenni ran in the Sausage Race over the weekend, but finished in fourth place.

Of course, if you've been to Miller Park lately you know that the Sausage Race is also the start of the race to beat traffic out of Miller Park. Miller Park Drunk outlines the acceptable reasons to leave early. There's not many.

Baseball faces lots of issues: High ticket prices, poor umpiring, steroids, etc. With that said, American Polymath has a solution I've never heard before, but can get wholeheartedly behind: Baseball Needs Rob Deer.

How many times has a Brewer runner take off on a 3-2 pitch, just to return to your base when it's fouled off? I'm not sure I would have invested the time in tracking it, but Plunk Everyone reports they've done it 54 times this season, which puts them in the bottom third of teams. The Dodgers have fouled off a 3-2 pitch with runners going 103 times.

On this day in 1983, Tom Candiotti pitched a complete game in his first major league start and beat the Red Sox 5-1.

Happy birthday to Skip Lockwood, who pitched in 132 games for the Pilots and Brewers between 1969 and 1973 and turns 63 today. Jeff Liefer, who appeared in 16 games for the Brewers in 2004, also turns 35.

Oh, and I think we all wish our significant other was a little more like Sloane Peterson. (h/t C. Trent Rosecrans)

Drink up.

Daniel McCutchen: It's Time

Charlie — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:19:12 -0000

The Pirates' recent flurry of roster moves (Jose Ascanio has been sent to the DL, Jeff Salazar has been designated for assignment, and Brian Bixler and Denny Bautista have been recalled from Indianapolis) demonstrate that the Bucs badly need relief help right now. There's no indication that Bautista is a legitimate answer; he has a track record of repeated failure in the major leagues, and nothing he's done this year suggests that this time up will be any different. He struck out more than a batter an inning at Indianapolis, true, but he also has walked 34 batters in 48 innings to go along with a 4.88 ERA. He'll also be 29 next week. Even as a placeholder on a floundering team, he's an uninspired choice.

So why not give Dan McCutchen a spot in the 'pen? McCutchen has had an interesting season as a starter for Indianapolis, posting a 3.40 ERA to go with 99 strikeouts in 129.7 innings. More importantly, he's improved to the point of being nearly unhittable over the course of the season--he posted ERAs of 3.74, 4.82 and 4.50 in April, May and June, respectively, but he had a 2.10 ERA in July and now has a 1.35 ERA in August. He has also struck out 36 batters in July and August while walking only four.

There isn't really a rotation spot available for McCutchen right now, but the bullpen is a different story. McCutchen will be 27 in September, so there's no good reason to hold him back if he can be better than one or more of the Pirates' current relievers. That is, his upside as a starter isn't so great to worry about using him as a reliever, and he's not so young that the Pirates should be concerned about service time issues. And it isn't as if the Bucs should be thrilled about their current bullpen.

McCutchen still has flaws--his strikeout rate is still a bit low, and he still allows tons of fly balls. (Of course, Bautista allows tons of flies too.) But the bullpen is, ideally, where flawed pitchers should go, because short outings can mask flaws. If an opportunity presents itself later, the Pirates could still move McCutchen back to the rotation, or use him as a spot starter, but why not give him a shot as a reliever now, while there's opportunity?

What To Do With The Pirates' Roster?

Charlie — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:28:20 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Might Jason Jaramillo attract interest in the trade market?

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The Post-Gazette asks what the Pirates should do with their 25-man roster once Donnie Veal and Ryan Doumit return soon.

If I were the making the decisions, I might actually consider sending Veal back to the Cubs. Veal has shown no signs of being able to pitch effectively at the major league level any time soon. He's walked ten batters in 6.3 innings so far this year for the Pirates, and he walked twelve batters in 12.7 innings in his "rehab" stint at Indianapolis (although he did allow just four hits). He has good stuff, but he's 24, and it'll be quite a while before the Pirates can send him back to the minors to get the seasoning he obviously needs. Taking Veal in the Rule 5 was a high-risk, high-reward gamble on a pitcher with serious control problems. What possible indication has there been that the Pirates' gamble might be successful?

It's true that the Pirates shouldn't be quick to give up young talent. But Veal was a huge question mark to begin with, and he's not particularly young anymore. And this year, he's pitched less than 20 innings. If he's ever going to be a successful pitcher, what the Pirates are doing to him this year is not likely to help.

If returning Veal isn't a possibility, I'd probably demote Steven Jackson, who's been a mess of walks and runs (ten overall, including three unearned, in 16.3 innings). Matt Capps and John Grabow aren't going to the minors. Jesse Chavez has been fine, Evan Meek has walked more batters than he's struck out but has generally kept runs off the board, and Jeff Karstens is perfectly functional, I guess, as a mopup guy. That leaves Joel Hanrahan, who I really think will produce if given time--his stuff is good and he continues to post good ratios.

As for Doumit: the Post-Gazette reports that the Bucs might consider keeping both Jason Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz around and using Diaz in a kind of roving role. Perhaps they'll get him some at bats at third or first, which he played sparingly in the minors. I think this is very probably what they'll end up doing--Steve Pearce has all of two at bats since June 24, so plainly the Pirates think he's expendable. Jeff Salazar could also be demoted.

Here's a crazy idea, though--send Jaramillo down and install him at Indianapolis' starting catcher, then market either him or Doumit to teams who might want an upgrade at catcher. Diaz has shown he can be a perfectly good backup, but probably nothing more; Jaramillo might well be better. Jaramillo has hit .262 AVG / .335 OBP / .400 SLG so far this year while playing good defense, which probably makes him an above average starting catcher. There are several contending teams, such as the Brewers, Tigers and Rays, who have gotten very little from their catchers, so Jaramillo might well generate interest, particularly if he tears the cover off the ball at Indianapolis.

Bits From the Trades

Charlie — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:59:00 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Lastings Milledge gets out of the way of an inside pitch.

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Odds and ends from the trade bonanza this afternoon:

-P- Jeff Salazar will join the Pirates while they wait for Lastings Milledge to get himself sorted out. Salazar didn't hit all that well for Indianapolis, but I'm still pretty happy to have him on board. I wanted him to make the team out of Spring Training. He brings decent defense and has just enough of every offensive skill to get by. He deserves the shot at a bench job, and I'm glad he's going to get it.

-P- Nats acting GM Mike Rizzo on the Morgan/Burnett deal:

"We addressed two of our biggest needs, athleticism and defensive ability in center field and a bullpen guy
we'll have control over the next three years." He called called Burnett and Morgan "two cornerstones of the organization."

That's a laugher worthy of Lloyd McClendon's "This sends shock waves" quote about Derek Bell, frankly. Burnett and Morgan would be cornerstones of a Class AA team. Maybe.

-P- The Post-Gazette also has some details on the players acquired for Eric Hinske. Eric Fryer, who has played outfield for the Yankees, will be moved back behind the plate, while Casey Erickson (lots of "Eric"s in this trade) may get a shot as a starter. He didn't pitch well in three minor-league starts this year, but he has four pitches. The P-G also notes that he's a groundball guy, and... wow, they're not kidding. I just noticed that. He has 3.23 groundouts for every flyout this year, which looks pretty tasty, and he's allowed just four homers in the past two years combined. Maybe there's more upside here than I initially realized.

-P- USA Today calls the Morgan/Burnett deal a "potential heist" for the Bucs.

Andrew McCutchen and Nyjer Morgan: Not the Only Choices

Charlie — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:19:58 -0000

John Perrotto writes that the Pirates will send Andrew McCutchen back to Indianapolis because of concerns about his service time:

Then you throw in the performance of both players this spring, though that comes with the caveat that numbers compiled in exhibition play carry less weight than the regular season and come within an extremely small sample size.

McCutchen has a .255 batting average, a fine .388 on base percentage and a .436 slugging percentage in 67 plate appearances. Morgan’s numbers are .179/.226/.250 in 62 plate appearances...

However, sometimes the obvious decision in baseball isn’t necessarily so obvious. That is the case in the McCutchen/Morgan debate...

The sooner McCutchen makes his major-league debut is the sooner he begins accruing major-league service time, putting him on the road to free agency after six full seasons. Thus, it makes no sense to burn a year of McCutchen in the majors in what almost surely will be a lost season.

That is why Morgan will be the left fielder on April 6 and McCutchen will be at Indianapolis, even if doesn’t seem like the right move to make at first blush.

If McCutchen's service time was the Pirates' only reason for keeping him in Indianapolis, that would be a perfectly valid basis for their decision. There's no need to sacrifice McCutchen's rights in 2015 just to have a bit more fun in the first two months of what will surely be a dreadful 2009 campaign.

But service time isn't the only reason to keep McCutchen at Indianapolis. Perrotto rightly points out some of the flaws in Spring Training stats, but I'll go further: Spring Training stats mean virtually nothing. What matters most, at this point, is how McCutchen did last year, and last year he performed well at Indianapolis but didn't dominate. Let him dominate, and then bring him up. It's far from clear that there's any sort of developmental advantage to be gleaned from bringing a player up before he proves he's absolutely ready.

Also, comparing McCutchen to Nyjer Morgan is understandable but a bit misleading, because it implies that McCutchen and Morgan are the only two choices. Not to pile on, but there are lots of unripe prospects who would look pretty good compared to Morgan. In the meantime, the Pirates could turn to Jeff Salazar, or Steve Pearce, or Eric Hinske, or someone they acquire on the waiver wire or in a trade. (They could also give the playing time to Craig Monroe, but I'm not sure that'd be much better than playing Morgan.)

If we compare McCutchen to a substandard player as if the only option is one or the other, we're likely to make bad decisions. In baseball, these sorts of decisions are rarely binary. It is possible to believe that Morgan is a bad joke and that McCutchen should start the year in the minors.

Pirates Stocking Up On Corner Players

Charlie — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:26:27 -0000

Earlier today Vlad noticed that the Pirates just signed first baseman and former Nationals prospect Larry Broadway (who, just in case you saw the name and got a little confused, isn't the same person as White Sox pitcher Lance Broadway). Obviously, this move isn't any kind of a big deal and Broadway is highly unlikely to play for the Bucs, but it clouds the situation at Indianapolis. Here are all the players the Pirates have who are likely to play first or outfield (I've included centerfielders too, because they're tough to separate from corner guys) for the Bucs at Pittsburgh or Indianapolis this year:

PLAYER	POSITION(S)	LIKELY ROLE	NOTES
Brandon Moss	OF	Pirates starting corner OF	Job relatively secure
Nate McLouth	CF/OF	Pirates starting CF	Obviously will start somewhere, but could move to corner if McCutchen emerges
Nyjer Morgan	OF/CF	Pirates starting corner OF?	Job may not be secure
Adam LaRoche	1B	Pirates starting 1B	FA after 2009
Eric Hinske	OF/1B/3B	Pirates bench	Insurance against struggles by Andy LaRoche, Morgan or Moss
Andy Phillips	OF/1B/3B	Pirates bench?	Minor league slugger may wind up in majors or AAA
Jeff Salazar	OF/CF	Pirates bench?	Good hitting relative to Morgan and fielding relative to Hinske would make Salazar a great option as the Pirates' fifth outfielder. Indianapolis also a possible destination
Andrew McCutchen	CF	Indianapolis starting CF	Could probably use another month or two at AAA but should join Pirates soon
Steve Pearce	OF/1B	Indianapolis starting OF	The Pirates have said they want Pearce to play every day at Indianapolis
Craig Monroe	OF	Indianapolis OF	Markedly worse than Salazar, but will probably get look as Pirates bench OF
Jose Tabata	OF	Indianapolis OF?	If Bucs send him to Indianapolis rather than Altoona, he obviously needs to play every day
Brad Corley	OF	Indianapolis OF?	Former 2nd round pick's strike zone judgment is so bad he probably struggles to avoid swinging at pickoff throws to first. Altoona also possible
Jason Delaney	1B/OF	Indianapolis 1B?	Only played 1B last year and is probably just a hair too interesting to give up on completely
Garrett Jones	1B/OF	Indianapolis 1B?	Interesting lefty option at Indy
Larry Broadway	1B/OF?	Indianapolis 1B?	Eight career minor league games in OF. Older and probably a lesser hitter than Jones
Adam Boeve	OF/1B	Indianapolis OF?	Not a prospect, but reliably decent hitter in AAA
Ryan Mulhern	1B	Indianapolis bench?	Former Cleveland prospect now an organizational player

As you can see, this is a ton of players for a limited amount of playing time, particularly at Indianapolis. Jamie Romak could also cloud the picture further with a strong start at Altoona. These players will therefore be interesting to keep track of in Spring Training. A few of them, like Monroe, could have out clauses in their contracts that allow them to become free agents if they don't make the team. Some, like Broadway or Boeve, could be sent to Altoona. It will be interesting to see where Tabata is assigned, also.

The proliferation of minor league options may mean the Pirates want to hedge their bets against potentially weak starting options like Morgan, Moss or (to a lesser extent) Andy LaRoche. Also, note that Adam LaRoche becomes a free agent after 2009, and I don't think the Pirates will try to sign him to a long-term deal, so he could depart in a trade at midseason. In that case, the Pirates might promote Hinske or Pearce to a starting role.

Schoeneweis to AZ, and the roster gets trimmed

Jim McLennan — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:04:31 -0000

Schoeneweis, Schoeneweis
Take your water and sun-block.
A Met no more, there's the door;
Welcome to Arizona.

Bullpen arm, may you pitch and throw,
Decently, not like some we know
Schoeneweis, Schoeneweis
You'll only get to face lefties...

The Diamondbacks got the left-handed bullpen arm they wanted, trading from our Con(n)or stockpile. We sent Connor Robertson to the Mets in exchange for Scott Schoeneweis, and also got $1.6 m in cash from the Mets to go towards the reliever's $3.6m salary for the upcoming season. Note the emphasis on the words in the next sentence. If properly used, Schoeneweis should be very effective. To be specific, he should never get to face a right-handed batter unless it's an emergency - and by that, all other relievers must be unavailable, due to a tragic mass accident at a band-saw factory. Here are Schoeneweis's career splits versus left-handed and right-handed batters:

	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. LHB	.224	.299	.295	.594
vs. RHB	.294	.367	.469	.835

I don't think any further explanation is really necessary, but it's clear that his reaction to right-handers is similar to Mrs. SnakePit's response to cats [albeit, presumably without all the puffiness and wheezing]. Somehow, the Mets do not seem to have understood this, and in his time there, he faced more RHB than LHB, which likely helps account for his 2-8 record in the past couple of seasons. In 2008, he faced 130 righties, and they hit .333 off Schoeneweis; the 113 lefties batted only .178. Should we ever see him on the mound with a right-hander at the plate, I expect 'Skins to have an appropriate diagram ready.

Schoeneweis has an interesting background, and it's frankly a miracle he's in the majors at all. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of nineteen, but beat that [he can trade stories with DD!], only to blow out his elbow and need Tommy John surgery while still at college. He was mentioned in the Mitchell Report as receiving steroids, but his excuse was that this was tied to his post-cancer regimen - certainly a more credible explanation that most have managed. He was the losing pitcher in the last ever game at Shea, giving up a home-run in the eighth to Wes Helms [who is right-handed, naturally...]. He's also second on the all-time list for games thrown by a Jewish pitcher. I dunno if it matters to him, but Yom Kippur 2009 is September 28th. It's an off-day. :-)

Robertson came to Arizona along with Dan Haren, and appeared in six games for the Diamondbacks, with an ERA of 5.14. He spent most of the season down in Tucson, where he had a 5.02 ERA in 47 relief appearances. Now aged 27, it doesn't seem like he'll be much of a loss to the Diamondbacks, and the majority of Mets fans don't exactly seem exuberant at their new acquisition. Indeed, it's barely noticed in the man-love (understandably) being shown for F-Rod and JJ Putz; I suspect this move was as much a salary dump for New York as anything.

In other news, the team announced they won't offer contracts to four players who appeared with the team in 2008: Chris Burke, Robby Hammock, Wil Ledezma and Jeff Salazar. The loss of Burke will be mourned by no-one. I still expect to see Hammock on the major-league roster at some point this year, simply because we always do. I think he mugs a journalist, steals his pass to sneak into the locker-room, and everyone is so used to seeing him there, they don't notice when he puts his cleats on. Wil Ledezma likely merits an honorable mention in the Least Significant All-Time Diamondbacks for the four career innings he provided the team. Jeff Salazar's departure signals the team intends to use Conor Jackson as the main left-fielder, with Eric Byrnes getting a roving commission as backup at all three outfield spots.

All these moves are a significant step forward to solidifying the roster. Here's what I have at the time of writing.

Starters	Bench	Rotation	Bullpen
2B. Lopez CF. Young SS. Drew LF. Jackson RF. Upton 1B. Tracy 3B. Reynolds C. Snyder	C. Montero C. Skelton IF. Ojeda OF. Byrnes 1B. Clark	1. Webb 2. Haren 3. Davis 4. Scherzer 5. Petit	CL. Qualls SU. Pena 7th. Rauch LH. Schoeneweis LR. Gutierrez UT. Peguero UT. Rosales

The apparent uncertainties are in italics. It's only the back of the bullpen that really needs to be attended to, and the three names I've penciled in there are just the first ones that come to mind. There are a number of other players which could end up appearing instead: Coutlangus, Buckner, Medders...hey, what's Edgar Gonzalez doing these days? ;-) If you have any thoughts on that topic, feel free to chip in. The Tribune report a deal for Clark, around the $750K mark, appears to be being negotiated. It seems odd to have a left-hander to back up...a left-hander at first-base, but Bob Melvin's love for Tony knows no bounds. Just, please, don't use him as a pinch-runner for Upton again?

Nick Piecoro has extended quotes from Lopez on his blog, adding, "People familiar with Lopez say the key with him is to keep him motivated every day. He apparently had irked teammates in Washington by not always hustling. When he got to St. Louis, he said he just wanted to play for a contending team -- something he didn’t have in Washington -- and it was pretty clear that his motivation level changed pretty drastically, as did his production." Lopez himself added, "It was just not a good fit. They're still trying to figure things out and I was just not the right fit for that time." I think if Arizona stay in contention, he'll be fine; and if we're not, it's only a one-year deal, so it won't matter. Of course, either way, we could still be looking for another second-baseman in December 2009.

Nick is also the source for the potential batting lineup given above, which makes some sense. Lopez is a switch-hitter, while Drew and Tracy are lefties, so it does a nice job of breaking up the order. I'm not sure about Jackson in the clean-up spot. I think I'd perhaps prefer him higher up, with Upton batting at #4, and I don't like Young, with his low OBP, second. My personal choice would be:

Lopez (S)
Jackson
Drew (L)
Upton
Reynolds
Young
Tracy (L)
Snyder
Pitcher

CoJack isn't your typical top of the order guy, but he gets on base very well, and he showed decent wheels last season. The 6-8 spots are certainly open to discussion, but dropping Tracy to seven gives us a left-handed bat to break up the bottom of the order. Young's OBP probably doesn't even merit the six spot, but his power does. Looking at that starting line-up, it's not inconceivable all eight regular starters could reach double-figures in home-runs [Lopez being the least likely]. That's something few teams in National League history have managed: three in 2007 (the Brewers, Braves and Reds), but outside that, barely a handful (the 1952 Giants, 1965 Reds, 1995 Expos, 1999 Reds, 2000 Giants, 2003 Braves).

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Schoeneweis to AZ, and the roster gets trimmed