SB Nation - Chip Ambres

Billy Wagner's Most Valuable Pitches

James Kannengieser — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:00:10 -0000

To commemorate Billy Wagner's return this week, I compiled a list of his top 10 most valuable pitches as a Met per WPA. It should bring back some pleasant, and not so pleasant, memories during this lost season. A major caveat of relief pitcher WPA is that relievers often create their own high-leverage situations. Walking the bases loaded in the 9th inning then striking out 3 in a row will result in higher WPA figures than a 1-2-3 inning. The Mets won 8 out of the 10 games listed here, with the 2 losses coming within a rough 1 month stretch in 2008.

10. 7/22/2007
Play: Matt Kemp struck out swinging in the 10th inning
WPA: .166
Game Result: Mets 5, Dodgers 4

Chip Ambres singled home Lastings Milledge in the 10th inning and Wagner struck out the side in the 9th, but not before issuing 2 free passes and throwing 1 wild pitch. There were 2 outs in the inning after Kemp struck out. See entry #3 for the final out of the game. I remember this one distinctly, as I was at KeySpan Park watching Moises Alou's rehab game when the Ambres single was shown on the scoreboard to thunderous Coney Island applause.

9. 8/2/2006
Play: Miguel Cabrera struck out swinging in the 9th inning
WPA: .172
Game Result: Mets 6, Marlins 5

In an attempt to give the Mets fanbase a collective heart attack, Wagner allowed 2 baserunners in the 9th before striking out the side to end it. This specific strikeout ended the game. Those 3 batters he K'd are pretty good too - Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, and Dan Uggla. See King Hanley's strikeout at entry #5.

8. 8/8/2007
Play: Jeff Francoeur reached on fielder's choice, Chipper Jones out at home in the 9th inning
WPA: .184
Game Result: Mets 4, Braves 3

Moises Alou homered in the bottom of the 8th to put the Mets ahead 4-3. Wagner closed the door in the 9th despite giving up 2 singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Frenchy followed with this fielder's choice, and the final play of the game can be found at entry #1.

7. 5/23/2008
Play: Ryan Spilborghs reached on a fielder's choice, Todd Helton out at second in the 9th inning
WPA: .184
Game Result: Rockies 6, Mets 5

With the Mets desperate for a win, Wagner surrendered a solo homer to Matt Holliday which tied the game 5-5 in the 9th. Billy tried his best to lose the game, giving up 2 singles following Holliday's blast, but he induced this fielder's choice by Spilborghs and eventually got Scott Podsednik to pop out. Aaron Heilman eventually lost this game in the 13th.

6. 6/12/2008
Play: Orlando Hudson reached on a fielder's choice, Stephen Drew out at home in the 9th inning
WPA: .185
Game Result: Diamondbacks 5, Mets 4

O-Dog's groundout preserved the Mets' 4-3 lead in the 9th inning, temporarily. Conor Jackson's fielder's choice plated the tying run, and Aaron Heilman gave up a sacrifice fly in the 10th in what would be one of Willie Randolph's last games as manager. This game especially sucked because I took off a day from work to attend. I'd rather sit at my cubicle than watch the 2008 Mets Bullpen Horror Show.

5. 8/2/2006
Play: Hanley Ramirez struck out swinging in the 9th inning
WPA: .185
Game Result: Mets 6, Marlins 5

This save preserved Steve Trachsel's 10th win. I wonder if there's been a worse 16 win season than The Human Rain Delay's 2006?

4. 6/13/2006
Play: Pat Burrell grounded into a double play, Bobby Abreu out at second in the 9th inning
WPA: ..193
Game Result: Mets 9, Phillies 7

In a rare 5-out save, Wagner induced a double play by Chase Utley to end the 8th and then another by Burrell in the 9th. Aaron Rowand struck out to end the game.

3. 7/22/2007
Play: Nomar Garciaparra struck out looking in the 10th inning
WPA: .246
Game Result: Mets 5, Dodgers 4

Garciaparra struck out to end this one, putting the Mets in 1st place in the NL East by 3.5 games.

2. 4/29/2006
Play: Andruw Jones grounded into a double play, Chipper Jones out at second in the 9th inning
WPA: .304
Game Result: Mets 1, Braves 0

Wagner was dominant in his first month as a Met, posting a 0.69 ERA in 13 innings pitched. A Paul Lo Duca home run accounted for the game's only run, and Billy induced a double play from Andruw after Chipper led off with a single. Jeff Wincoeur ended the game with a strikeout.

1. 8/8/2007
Play: Andruw Jones grounded into double play, Jeff Francoeur out at second in the 9th inning
WPA: .458
Game Result: Mets 4, Braves 3

The top 2 spots on this list are Andruw Jones double plays, and this one came immediately after the play at entry #8. The Mets were 4 games up in the NL East following this game. Things were good back then, weren't they?

The Pawtucket Red Sox Roster Crunch

Ben Buchanan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:08:01 -0000

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For some, it's just a stop on the way to the majors. For others, it has been home for years. With a surge of new talent on the way from the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston's AAA-affiliate Pawtucket Red Sox are about to have a major roster shake-up.

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When doing Minor Lines on an average night, Pawtucket is the least interesting team to look at. The notable names on offense, up till the promotion of Aaron Bates, were all guys who were likely to be bench players at best in their career. Chris Carter, Dusty Brown, Jeff Bailey, Jonathan Van Every. Talented ball players who often rank amongst the elite at AAA, but can't seem to take the next step and enter the world of the Majors.

Portland, on the other hand, is perhaps the most interesting team. Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick were the obvious standouts coming into the year. Wagner has exploded onto the scene with Aaron Bates. Ryan Kalish was promoted after only a month in Salem to start the year, and has slowly but surely begun to adapt to the tougher competition (.308/.325/.385 in June vs. .133/.212/.233 in May). Even less noticeable guys have performed, as 26-year-old Bubba Bell was promoted to Pawtucket today.

When a player is promoted in the minor leagues, much like in the Majors, there always has to be a counter move. Someone has to be traded, released, sent to the DL, promoted or demoted in order to make space. With such a large wave of players having legitimate shots at Pawtucket, and such a large amount of guys seemingly stuck at AAA, the Red Sox are faced with an obvious problem. Who stays, who goes, and what do we do with those who go?

Dusty Brown and Carlos Maldonado share duties behind the plate. They both share similar skill sets—good defensively, mediocre offensively—but Maldonado is a 30-year-old recent signing while Dusty Brown is a 26-year-old who has spent the last 8 years in the Red Sox farm system. Brown could also possibly carry some value down the line as a backup catcher once Wakefield decides to hang up his glove, so when Mark Wagner inevitably comes knocking, expect Maldonado to get the boot.

If Jorge Jimenez makes the jump sooner rather than later, the Sox will have an interesting choice. The PawSox have 3 players who can all play 2B, SS, and 3B in Gil Velazquez, Angel Chavez, and Travis Denker. Velazquez and Chavez are similar players. Both are older (29 and 27 respectively) with good gloves and mediocre bats. Chavez is better offensively, while Velazquez can also play all outfield positions. Travis Denker is something of a defensive liability, but is only 23 and has a somewhat better bat. The organization will probably elect to keep Denker due to his age and offense, but the choice between Chavez and Velazquez is harder. With the value the Sox put on versatility in the minor leagues, though, Velazquez seems to have an edge up.

The most crowded positions, though, are the 1B/DH and Outfield positions. Pawtucket currently rotates a trio of Jeff Bailey, Aaron Bates, and Paul McAnulty through the corner outfield and 1B positions with Jeff Natale, Freddy Guzman, and Chris Carter (usually at the DH) getting occasional turns. Currently on the DL, Zach Daeges and Jonathan Van Every are also often slotted in. Sometime next year, though, it's not at all unlikely that a majority of these spots will be filled by players currently in Portland. Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick will replace Jeff Bailey and Paul McAnulty in the starting group. Kalish will take over at center field, with Reddick seeing some starts there too.

If the Sox think they can get value for any of the guys currently in the group, they'll likely ship them off. Jeff Bailey, Chris Carter, and Jonathan Van Every are the most familiar names on the list, and the ones most likely to get some small returns. On the other hand, they're also the ones most likely to start the year with the Major League club. Depending on the future of Rocco Baldelli, Nick Green, Julio Lugo, and Mark Kotsay (not to mention David Ortiz), the Red Sox could quickly find themselves in need of a new 4^th outfielder or backup middle infielder. Bubba Bell would likely be one of the top candidates for a trade. It seems Bailey and Carter might again be fighting for a job next season, but without a spot at Pawtucket to fall back on. And if the Sox resign any of their current backups or add a few veterans in the offseason, then there could be no room for anyone.

Over the last few years, Pawtucket has stagnated a little. Aside from a few major players moving up (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lowrie), there has been an established core of AAAA position players who every so often get their shot at a cup of coffee. Now, the core seems destined to be broken up. Already, Chip Ambres was traded to the Mets and Sandy Madera was released. For some, the change will mean new opportunities. Whether with the Red Sox or another team, some of them certainly have the ability to at least be major league backups. For others, it will be just another move in a long series of moves in their long minor league careers. And for some more it may just be the end of the road. But for the Red Sox, it will mean a vast well of talent on the very edge of the making the Majors, and a much more interesting PawSox box score.

The Mets Acquire Chip Ambres, Citizens Of Buffalo Cheer

Sam Page — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:00:20 -0000

According to Hubbuch, The Mets got OF Chip Ambres from the Red Sox today. You may remember Ambres for his .376 wOBA with New Orleans in 2007. Total Zone had him at 17 runs above average that season. Ambres also had a three game stay with the Mets that year, in which he hit a GWRBI. He's probably an upgrade over Cory Sullivan or whoever else he'll take playing time from in Buffalo. If nothing else, he's a reminder of how uncreative Minaya is and how bad the Mets leftfield situation was in 2007. I suppose he's Emil Brown's replacement, and he's another player I don't want to see on the Mets or batting second this season.