SB Nation - Omar Vizquel

Beyond the Hot Stove: Opening Edition

SFiercex4 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:52:20 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

In this April 30, 2009 photo, Center fielder Andruw Jones fields a fly out for the Texas Rangers during a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Arlington, Texas. If Jones can prove he can still do this, Jones' new emplyer, the Chicago White Sox, should be fairly happy with their investment.. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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The Hot Stove officially started two Fridays ago with the start of free agency, but here at Beyond the Box Score we have already covered quite a few moves prior to that (check out this, this, and this if you missed them).

Still, we have only so many people, and there are only so many things to say about some moves, so I figured I'd conglomerate a few of these into one big recap each week called Beyond the Hot Stove. Here I'll cover some of the smaller moves of the week that was in the Hot Stove. Since this is the first one, we'll cover moves starting from Friday, November 20th, the start of the free agent period. Links all courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors.

- The first Hot Stove happening was Omar Vizquel's one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. Vizquel has never been much with the bat, but my guess is that is not why he was brought to the South Side. Even in limited playing time the last few seasons, Vizquel has shown a decent glove, putting up around 30 runs above average the last three seasons at shortstop according to UZR. Granted, most of that happened in 2007, but it would seem as if Vizquel's golden glove has not yet fallen off with advanced age.

As for the White Sox? They look like they will be shuffling the infield once again with the departure of incumbent second baseman Chris Getz. Vizquel could likely work as a serviceable part-time player at shortstop and third base (he played a little third with the Texas Rangers last year), but I highly doubt they'll stick with him for more than the playing time he saw last year.

- The Milwaukee Brewers signed Chris Capuano and continue to search for more starting pitching after throwing the majors' worst rotation last season. Capuano is a Brewers product, but has not pitched in the majors for two seasons since undergoing a second Tommy John surgery and rehabbing. Capuano was a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy before the injuries set in, so he has a shot at being decent if he gets a chance this season.

- Speaking of injury issues, the Oakland A's signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league deal. McPherson has massive home run power and struggles with mostly everything else, particularly strikeouts and staying on the field. He might get some time at third base as filler until Brett Wallace or someone else in the A's organization steps in, or he may linger in the minors once again.

- The Toronto Blue Jays made two interesting moves to shore up their infield, resigning John McDonald and signing Alex Gonzalez. The McDonald move is a head-scratcher, as McDonald has no bat (career wOBA .264, Bill James projected .254 for 2010) and will be playing the role of defensive backup for $1.5M a year. He does seem to be a solid defender, both at shortstop and at second base, and the Jays do have an awful third baseman in Edwin Encarnacion, so the thought may be to replace Encarnacion with the more sure-handed McDonald in the late innings. Is that worth 0.3 WAR and $1.5M?

As for Gonzalez, he is just one season removed from a 2.5 WAR campaign in 2008. However, that came on a career high .340 wOBA that he has never come close to prior to or since that season, so don't count on that happening again. Gonzalez has always been a solid shortstop (career UZR/150 of +7), and a combination of him and Aaron Hill up the middle may vacuum a few more batted balls for Toronto's pitchers. Gonzalez will give most of that value back with his awful bat, however. Bill James has him projected at a .296 wOBA, and if Gonzalez starts all season, he would have to be a +10 glove to approach being an average player. Then again, he's being paid $2.75M, so no one's expecting average production from him.

- By far the most intriguing move to me was the White Sox signing of Andruw Jones to a one year, $500K deal. Jones had a comeback year after a hellish 2008, batting .214/.323/.459 in 331 PA, good for a .338 wOBA and 1.5 park-adjusted batting runs above average. I don't think I need to show the 2008 numbers to tell you that this was a massive improvement over '08. He did all this with one of the lowest BABIP's in baseball (BABIP of .220). For a player who had such trouble with contact (72% contact rate) and swung so much out of the zone (24.0% out-of-zone swing rate), his walk rate was surprising (12.7% UIBB%) but typical of the old Jones from his Atlanta years. He also posted a promising .246 ISO.

Bill James projects a similar wOBA for 2010 of .335, and Jones will be moving into another hitter's haven in U.S. Cellular Field. Jones only played 145 innings in the outfield in 2009, but he is only two seasons removed from a typical Jones-esque season of 21 runs above average in center field in 2007. Jones has not played center field regularly since 2007, and given his physique it may be wise to keep him in the corners. However, it seems plausible that Jones can still contribute positively in the outfield for the White Sox, which is exactly what the Sox need. If he can play a decent corner outfield (on the order of +2 to +5 runs over a full season) and be an average hitter like he was last season, he would be worth a lot more than what the White Sox would be paying him, even after his incentives bump him up to $1M. A good deal for both player and team involved.

Omar Vizquel is Official

The Cheat — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:23:29 -0000

I held off on commenting on the long-rumored Omar Vizquel signing for two reasons; one, it's pretty tough to get excited about the signing of a back-up shortstop, even if he happens to be one of the best defenders in the history of the game; and two, I wasn't going to waste the energy on a deal that wasn't official. Well now the deal is official.

It seems the only hangup was getting Omar hooked up with some Sox gear, rounding up Luis Aparicio, and putting together a press conference focusing on the White Sox Venezuelan tradition.

So what's left to say? The Sox picked up a veteran who took to the role of part-time backup and full-time mentor to Elvis Andrus, and he'll presumably fall into that same role here with a pair of green middle infielders in Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham. Though Ozzie Guillen is never content to let our assumptions go uncontradicted, saying that Vizquel isn't here as a coach and will get lots of time thanks to Alexei's annual pre-Memorial Day siesta at the plate.

"I don't want him to be a coach,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said of the signing. "That's the last thing I want. Omar is so professional handling something he had to do for the first time in his life. I think the job he did with the kids in Texas [last season] was outstanding.

"His presence with the team is very important. He's a guy that knows how to play the game, he's a Hall of Famer. The kids can take advantage, especially Gordon [Beckham] and [Alexei] Ramirez. We will try and find him a lot of playing time, especially early in the year because everyone knows Ramirez struggles early either because of the weather or over-training."

Monday's Brief and Late Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:23:57 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Can the Brewers afford to do what it takes to keep Prince Fielder in Milwaukee?

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Ok, this took longer than I expected, so today's Mug is all bullet points, and hopefully you'll get a chance to read it before leaving work:

Jorge Says No! has a look at the Brewers situation with Prince Fielder, and wonders what they can afford to offer him in a long term deal.
The JS has Baseball America's list of Top 30 Brewer prospects (FanShot). Casa de Machado has some reaction, but here's my quick one: This list was compiled by Brian Anderson and Tom Haudricourt, who spent the 2009 season traveling with and covering the Brewers. As such, they had limited or no time to scout any of these players in person. So why are they ranking them?
Elsewhere in the minors, the Appleton Post Crescent has an in-depth look at the renovations at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton.
As noted earlier, the Brewers signed Dominican shortstop Santo Aybar over the weekend. Baseball America has more about him. One salient point: He turns 17 on Saturday, so we can stop calling him a 16-year-old prospect.
Adam McCalvy has a look at the Brewer contributions to Saturday's AFL championship game victory for the Peoria Javelinas. The Javelinas beat the Phoenix Desert Dogs, who were five time defending league champions.
Baseball America has a look at catchers in the AFL, and a note on the somewhat dramatic improvement of Jonathan Lucroy, who might be in the middle of the most meteoric rise in the Brewer organization in quite some time.
McCalvy also wants your questions for an inbox column he's looking to write next week.
Miller Park Drunk took some heat and has reconsidered his decision on the coolness of the newly renamed Molitor parking lot at Miller Park.
MPD also has a look back at 2001.
Two weeks ago, I suggested Yorvit Torrealba as a possible placeholder at catcher until Jonathan Lucroy is ready to take over. With free agency open, several teams have expressed interest, including the Giants.
Omar Vizquel is no longer a candidate to replace Craig Counsell, as he's signed with the White Sox.
Elsewhere in transactions, the Royals signed former Brave Jorge Campillo.
And the A's signed Dallas McPherson.
The Mets might be interested in Ben Sheets.
Further proof that being a dick extends your life expectancy: Gary Sheffield wants to play next season.
The Pirates may be lining their pockets with revenue sharing money.
The Brewers are hiring a part time mailroom/warehouse guy.
Happy birthday to Dale Sveum, who turns 46.

Drink up.

Omar Vizquel to the ChiSox

Adam J. Morris — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:58:12 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

4 months ago: Texas Rangers' Omar Vizquel celebrates his solo home against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Omar Vizquel has signed a one year deal for $1.375 million with the Chicago White Sox.

Officially, Vizquel is going to be a backup infielder, but I suspect that part of the appeal of signing with Chicago is that there is a pretty decent chance he'll end up starting for them at some point.

Right now, the ChiSox are talking about Gordon Beckham at second base, Alexei Ramirez at shortstop, and Mark Teahen at third base. Teahen, though, at third base is shaky for a contender, and I imagine Vizquel probably views this situation as one where he's more likely to get regular playing time than he would if he'd come back to Texas.

Bobby Jenks Cements His Place as White Sox Regular Most-Likely to be Traded this Off-Season

The Cheat — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:47:18 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

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Free agency is 24 hours old, and the supposedly inactive White Sox are keeping things interesting. As you've no doubt heard by now, they're supposedly close to a bringing in Omar Vizquel to play a backup role, and now Joe Cowley has won the weekend with some juicy quotes from Bobby Jenks and Ozzie Guillen:

"Did I feel I was being picked on? No," Jenks said in a phone interview. "But I felt I was the easy scapegoat because I had struggled in the end with some nagging injuries. This organization, just like most in this game, tell you, 'Come in, our door is open and tell us what's on your mind.' And when you do, they turn it around on you and make you feel bad. They're playing on your own words. They want you to come in, be honest and then they turn it around."

There's more... I'd post it, but I'd just be ripping off the entire article. Head on over to the Sun-Times and read Cowley's piece, then come back here to make some cracks about Orlando Cabrera's sexual partners.

White Sox close in on shortstop Omar Vizquel

Eli Greenspan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:21:41 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

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The White Sox are closing in on a deal with free agent shortstop Omar Vizquel, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting. Vizquel gives the White Sox a solid back up at second, short, and third, where the White Sox are expected to have Gordon Beckham, Alexei Ramirez, and Mark Teahen start.

Despite hitting .266 this past season, Vizquel is still one of the top fielders in the league and the White Sox will certainly benefit from his presence.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:02:27 -0000

More photos » by Jacques Boissinot - AP

Eric Gagne, seen here in his Quebec Capitales uniform from the Can-Am League, is looking to return to the majors. The Brewers aren't interested.

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Some things to read while I work on the logistics of this.

No matter how ugly this offseason gets, at least we know it won't be this bad: The Brewers are not interested in a reunion with Eric Gagne, who spent the 2009 season pitching in the independent Can-Am League. I'm guessing interest in his services will be pretty light.

Speaking of moves that probably won't be made, Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers are unlikely to make a deal to clear up the logjam in their infield, unless "the pitching equivalent of Mat Gamel" is on the table. I'm not sure where the Brewers will find ABs for both Gamel and McGehee, but I'd guess Gamel might start 2010 in AAA if both return.

It's a light news day, so I scraped the bottom of the barrel for a roundup of players that have been mentioned in association with the Brewers over the last few weeks:

Brewer Paradise Lost ended their long hiatus with a post advocating for signing Jarrod Washburn.
Jack Moore of FanGraphs looks at Edwin Jackson's improved 2009 season, and says he still shouldn't be considered an elite pitcher.
Meanwhile, Dave Allen of FanGraphs looks at Joel Pineiro's decreasing walk rate and ability to get ground balls.
Lyle Spencer of MLB.com says John Lackey is believed to be seeking "Barry Zito dollars." This could be a great deal, as Zito dollars look great on the surface but perform at a tiny percentage of their expected worth.
If Craig Counsell really is considering offers from other teams this offseason, Omar Vizquel might be one name mentioned as a possible replacement. Vizquel, however, appears to want to play for a higher-profile team. The Phillies are the early favorite to sign him.
Dayn Perry lists Mike Cameron to the Cardinals as one of ten moves that need to happen this offseason.

After weeks of wondering about his whereabouts, TheJay found Adam Heether yesterday...sort of. A news story from his Venezuelan team's home page says Heether can't be released while he's injured. There's no mention of the details of the injury, or why they would want to release him in the first place...Heether was hitting .214/.389/.371 in his first 21 games.

Elsewhere in the minors, Wisconsin Sports Tap has ranked the top 15 outfielders in the Brewer system. The cupboard is pretty bare at the upper levels of the minors, but there's good depth in the lower levels that could develop into an organizational strength.

Just one transaction of note today:

Phillies: Removed infielder Eric Bruntlett from their 40-man roster.

I don't know why I waited this long to mention this, because it makes me laugh nearly every day: If you haven't seen it yet, you should be checking out the "Faces" series at Lookout Landing.

Over the last decade, we've seen major organizational shifts across baseball to emphasize the development and value of prospects. Minor League Baseball is setting record attendance numbers as fans come out to see the players of the future, and teams are taking great strides to protect their investments. Why, then, are the same players being fed a steady diet of junk food before and after games? Garrett Broshuis has a look at he diet of minor leaguers, and the challenges they face trying to find healthy options.

In yesterday's Fall/Winter League Update, I mentioned that D-Backs first baseman Conor Jackson is leading all Dominican batters with a .561 OBP this winter. That's even more impressive when you remember a detail I forgot: Jackson is recovering from Valley Fever, which cost him a large portion of the 2009 season.

B-Ref sponsorships are a great way to help support a site many of us use every day and frequently take for granted, but they're also a great opportunity for jokes: Baseball Junk Drawer has a top ten list of the best page sponsorship comments. (h/t Beyond the Box Score)

Happy birthday today to:

Matt Wise, who posted a 3.93 ERA in 175 games as a Brewer and turns 34.
1991-1992 Brewer Dante Bichette, who turns 46.
Mike Felder, who spent 1985-1990 as a Brewer and turns 48.

Today is also the 41st anniversary of the birth of Gary Sheffield. While "Happy birthday" doesn't really seem appropriate, it merited acknowledgment.

I missed it yesterday, but today appears to be another Woot-off Day.

Oh, and don't forget to check the IQ. (h/t @AccidentalWI)

Drink up.

News and Notes

Ryan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:01:52 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

The Omar! watch continues.

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Like last year, the Indians made most of their major moves during the season, not after it. Still, there are some moves left to made. First, there's the utility infielder spot...

Would Cleveland Indians be "high-profile" enough for Omar Vizquel to return? | cleveland.com
Bringing Omar! back to be a backup infielder does make some sense. There will be a small but tangible PR boost from the signing, and going on 43, Vizquel can still play decent defense. Bringing Jamey Carroll back would be better move, but he'll be more difficult to sign.

Tribe could use Vizquel's services again | indians.com
Another Omar! article, this time from Anthony Castrovince. He mentions a possible strategic downside to having Vizquel on ths club:

For one, it's expected that if the Indians do decide to pursue a veteran utility player in free agency, they'll need him to spell Valbuena at second base against left-handed pitching, and that's not exactly Vizquel's area of expertise. The switch-hitter batted .485 in just 35 plate appearances against lefties in '09, but he's a career .255 hitter against left-handers.

I'd like to see Valbuena get some at-bats against left-handers next year. He's only had 48 career plate appearances against southpaws, so that's not much to go on. And the Indians will be looking at Jason Donald as well, so I don't think this should prevent the Indians from bringing in Vizquel.

The major problem is his age. He's going to be 43 in April, and as well as he's kept in shape over the years, at some point he's going to break down.

Documentary makes way for the Choo Choo train | 아시아경제
Korean network MBC has produced a documentary about Shin-Soo Choo titled "Choo Shin-Soo, Hitting Major League At Last". This is a Q&A (in English) with Kim Sae-byul, the producer of the program. A sample:

Q: In that sense, you might need to put in some explanation for words such as "five-tool player" that the team’s coaching staff mentions.

Kim: I’m going to put them in subtitles. Because I didn’t really know what it meant. I first heard about the term "five-tool" when I was making this program. We are going to put in subtitles for everything the interviewee says and also for terminology that might need explaining. And we are going to put in all the dates and locations for footage of the games.

Take the Braves out of the running for these free agents

gondeee — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:28:22 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Was it Divine intervention that prevented the Atlanta Braves from signing Rafael Furcal... or just his agents.

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Last off-season the Atlanta Braves announced they had come to terms with free agent Rafael Furcal on a three-year contract... but less than 24-hours later Furcal had signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the aftermath of that episode, Braves President John Schuerholtz stated that the Braves would never again do business with Furcal's agents, the Wasserman Group, headed by super-agent Arn Tellem.

As a side note to this, if we had signed Furcal, then we would have moved Kelly Johnson to left field, we never would have signed Garret Anderson, and Martin Prado may never have emerged as a bona fide major league starter at second base. And we might have traded Yunel Escobar somewhere. Things tend to work out for the best sometimes, as Furcal layed an egg in 2009.

Here are the free agents this off-season who are represented by the Wasserman Group, and are therefore off-limits to the Braves (courtesy of MLBTR):

Wilson Betemit
Aaron Boone
Nomar Garciaparra
Jason Giambi
John Grabow
Rich Harden
Shawn Hill
Reed Johnson
Jason Kendall
Hideki Matsui
Jason Michaels
Guillermo Mota
Vicente Padilla
Wily Mo Pena
Joel Pineiro
Matt Treanor
Randy Wolf
Omar Vizquel

I must say that there's no one I really want on that list, so for this year at least, no harm, no foul.

Sunday morning Rangers things

Adam J. Morris — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:47:02 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

2 months ago: Texas Rangers starting pitcher Tommy Hunter adjusts his cap during the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners of a baseball game in Seattle on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. Hunter was pulled from the game in the inning as the Mariners went on to win 2-1. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

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Last game of the season today. Which I felt the need to mention, since some of you might not be aware of that.

Anthony Andro says Tommy Hunter was tipping his pitches last night, and the Rangers didn't catch any breaks, in losing 2-1 to Seattle.

Pudge Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel, and Andruw Jones all want to come back next season. Pudge and Vizquel, I think could well be back. Andruw, probably not.

Ray Buck has a story on Neftali Feliz, who he says is the Rangers most promising pitching phenom since David Clyde. While it may be nitpicking, I'd take issue with that, as I'm not sure either Clyde or Feliz was more promising than Eddie Correa, who, as I mentioned in the game day thread last night when Tom Grieve compared Feliz to Correa, was younger when he threw his final pitch as a major leaguer than Feliz was when he threw his first pitch as a major leaguer.

Jeff Wilson lists the needs the Rangers have to address for next year, although he indicates most of them will have to be fulfilled from within. Wilson also mentions that the Rangers may look at C.J. Wilson in the rotation next year.

And Jan Hubbard has a piece about how a solid season from the Rangers this year resulted in a lot less talk about how TBIA is keeping the team from succeeding.