SB Nation - Detroit Tigers

Another theory on Granderson's sub -par 2009 season

Ed Valentine — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:00:26 -0000

In 'jscape's' post earlier today on Curtis Granderson, the new center fielder for our New York Yankees, he reached out to Bless You Boys. Their theory on his career-worst 2009 season was that "Jim Leyland (the Detroit manager) messed with his head."

I hate to keep beating the Granderson story to death, but here is another theory. A source close to the Tigers tells me that there are those around the organization who think the problem wasn't Leyland. Or Granderson. Rather, it was hitting coach Lloyd McClendon.

Two Detroit stars, Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez, reportedly refused to work with McClendon -- a .244 career hitter in the big leagues. Also, I was told, Placido Palanco stopped working with McClendon after getting off to a rocky 2009 start.

My source referred to McClendon as Leyland's "buddy," and said "Granderson should have followed the lead of Cabrera and the others and ditched him."

He added this about what to expect from Granderson as a Yankee.

"I'd say the Yankees stole Curtis. And those idiots calling WFAN wondering about his low BA last year, and his high K's ... I imagine he'll rebound somewhat this season, and then big the following year."

Here are some links to stories about McClendon and his issues with Tiger hitters.

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2009/08/jim_leyland_backs_hitting_coac.html
http://blog.mlive.com/cutoffman/2009/10/detroit_hitting_coach_lloyd_mc.html
http://detnews.com/article/20091103/OPINION03/911030405/Change-in-hitting-coaches-won-t-fix-Tigers--problems-at-the-plate

All I can say is I hope Kevin Long is able to fix whatever ails Granderson.

Ramon Santiago Will Return

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:05:14 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

The Detroit Tigers will have Ramon Santiago capably backing up at shortstop and second base for the next two seasons, as he signed a two-year, $2.5 million deal on Wednesday.

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With Placido Polanco moving along to the Philadelphia Phillies, and rookie Scott Sizemore set to break in at second base next year, the Detroit Tigers probably needed as much stability in their middle infield as they could get. They got started on that last week by re-signing shortstop Adam Everett. And now, both second base and shortstop will once again be backed up dependably, as Ramon Santiago has agreed to a new contract with the team.

Santiago signed a two-year, $2.5 million deal. This also prevents him from having to go through salary arbitration for a new contract with the Tigers (along with free agency after next season).

This year, Santiago batted.267/.318/.385 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs, both career-highs. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that he achieved those numbers in 296 plate appearances (93 games), the second-highest total of his career. He's not Everett or Polanco with the glove, according to metrics such as UZR, but he gives the Tigers dependable defense at those positions, which is pretty much the main requirement for Jim Leyland.

The question with Santiago among many Tigers fans has been whether or not he's capable of being the full-time shortstop. Leyland and Dave Dombrowski have stated their belief that Santiago would wear down under the rigors of a full 162 games. Understandably, fans see the numbers Santiago puts up in limited time, along with a valuable left-handed bat, and wonder what he could do with more plate appearances. But has he been that successful because Leyland uses him correctly?

We may never know the answer to that question, barring an injury to one of the starting middle infielders. But having Santiago around for the next two years should leave those positions in good hands, while the Tigers try to break in some new blood up the middle.

(Thanks to allikazoo for first posting this news in a FanShot)

Fantasy Baseball: Raygu's MDC Mock Draft Results

raygu — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:00:28 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

22 days ago: FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2009, file photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols hits a single during the sixth inning of Game 2 of the National League division baseball series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in Los Angeles. Pujols was unanimously voted National League MVP on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, becoming the baseball first player to repeat since Barry Bonds won four in a row from 2001-04. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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I participated, I use that term loosely, in a 12 Team Mixed League mock draft over at Mock Draft Central on Monday night. I missed alot of my picks because I was busy following the Roy Halladay trade rumors. But I made sure I made my fist three picks, as I was picking from the first position.

Here is how the first two rounds went:

R1 P1 Albert Pujols

R1 P2 Hanley Ramirez

R1 P3 Chase Utley

R1 P4 Alex Rodriguez

R1 P5 Ryan Braun

R1 P6 Mark Teixeira

R1 P7 Tim Lincecum

R1 P8 Matt Kemp

R1 P9 Prince Fielder

R1 P10 Miguel Cabrera

R1 P11 Evan Longoria

R1 P12 David Wright

The second round is after the jump:

R2 P1 Ian Kinsler

R2 P2 Justin Morneau

R2 P3 Ryan Howard

R2 P4 Joe Mauer

R2 P5 Carl Crawford

R2 P6 Grady Sizemore

R2 P7 Jacoby Ellsbury

R2 P8 Mark Reynolds

R2 P9 Jason Bay

R2 P10 Troy Tulowitzki

R2 P11 Zack Greinke

R2 P12 Justin Upton

With the first pick in round 3 I selected Matt Holliday.

I was surprised Upton and Holliday were still available that late in round 2.

Poll

What is more shcoking about Raygu's mock draft?

A Tiger's Thoughts on Granderson

jscape2000 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:00:32 -0000

by Duane Burleson - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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I've been holding on to this piece for the last couple of days because of all the attention the Halladay trade and Lackey signing were (rightly) receiving.

Whenever the Yankees and the Tigers cross paths, I reach out to cartoon enthusiast and blogger extraordinaire Ian Casselberry of SBN sister-site Bless You Boys.

His thoughts on Curtis Granderson after the jump:

I (along with plenty of other Tigers fans) thought Curtis Granderson was a core part of the Tigers' roster, but evidently, the team felt differently. Here in Detroit, we're still trying to work out exactly why the Tigers considered Granderson expendable. One guess is that they didn't see him improving the flaws in his game.

As you've already written, the big problem with Granderson is his hitting against left-handed pitching. His .484 OPS this year was just awful, and it affected Granderson's reliability in the lineup late in the season. Against lefty starters, he was either moved down in the order or benched, which is not what you want from one of the key players in your lineup.

Granderson got knocked for his defense late in the season, But as perplexing as that was, he's still an excellent defensive centerfielder. Sometimes, his preference for playing shallow hurts him, and he lets a few balls go over his head. But he seems to get good jumps, with an ability to make the spectacular play. His throwing arm isn't the best, but it's not terrible, either. And Granderson makes up for that with good positioning and decision-making.

The biggest change in Granderson's game last year was the emphasis on power over hitting to the gaps and using his speed. It's just a theory, but I think Jim Leyland messed with his head early in the season by moving him down in the lineup to drive in more runs. That got Granderson away from hitting doubles and triples, and I think it lingered when he was put back in the leadoff spot.

Presumably, the Yankees won't need Granderson to be a RBI man, since they already have that covered. Without that burden, he may get back to what made him successful in previous seasons.

Being 'the man' on a team can effect a players approach to the game in subtle and obvious ways. Hopefully Ian is right, and Granderson rediscovers the magic now that he's not the heart of the lineup (Arod), the focus every story, or even the biggest philanthropist on the team (Jeter).

Many thanks to Ian for taking the time to put this together.

Will the Hall come a knockin' for Larkin?

ken — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:54:08 -0000

JinAZ explained why Barry Larkin should be elected into the Hall of Fame, but the "will" or "when" is a separate question. Larkin of course appears on the ballot for the first time this year and has 15 years to gain the requisite 75% of the BBWAA's eligible votes in order to avoid the "he'll have to buy a ticket to get in!" or "hall of very good" quips from sportswriters. An eligible voter has at least 10 years in the BBWAA, which unfortunately for Larkin leaves sabermetrically-inclined voters like Rob Neyer, Keith Law, and Will Carroll on the sidelines for now. Ballots are due on December 31, and the results will be published on January 6.

Judging the voting patterns of the electoriate and predicting elections is more art than science. Bill James and scores of others have demonstrated that the BBWAA does not treat the Hall of Fame like a meritocracy and (inconsistently) considers plenty of other factors, including team success, run scoring environment, popularity with the press, post-playing career, and most recently, "fear." Adding to the unpredictability is the relatively small number of candidates considered over a long period of time. At shortstop, the writers have only elected 10 shortstops into the Hall (the Veterans Committee has elected another 12). Most of the 10 were elected decades ago before most of today's voters became eligible, which makes it harder to judge the current electorate (only Cal Ripken, Robin Yount, and Ozzie Smith have been elected in the last 25 years). Additionally, a few of those 10 played a significant amount of time at other positions (Banks and Yount played only about half of their games at short, while Rabbit Maranville played about 20% of his games at second).

With all that said, I feel relatively confident that Larkin will be enshrined after waiting a few years because most writers and fans recognize that Larkin was a great player for a long stretch of time. The injuries and perhaps playing in a small market will hold Larkin back to some degree, but several measurements and other considerations point to eventual inlusion for Larkin:

- The 12 all-star games (would've been 13 but he was robbed in '92) is a great proxy for how well Larkin was perceived in his day. While there are flaws with the all-star selection process, there's no denying that a player picked to that many all-star teams was widely recognized as a great player for a long period of time. In fact, according to a Reds' PR intern (former intern now), no eligible player picked for at least 12 National League all-star teams has failed to make the HOF.

- Two of Bill James' HOF predictive tools charaterize Larkin as a strong but not an automatic candidate. Bill James' HOF Monitor awards points for in-season and career milestones (such as batting .300) while also counting AS game appearances and MVPs and awarding a positional adjustment. Larkin scores a 118. A 100 is considered a "good possibility " at the Hall while 130 is a "virtual cinch." Under the HOF Standards test (which is similar to the Monitor but takes out AS game appearances and MVP awards), Larkin scores a 47 compared to the average HOFer score of 50.

Larkin did not lead the league in any significant statistical categories and therefore does not have a "black ink" score. He also does not fare well under the "gray ink" standard, which gauges how often a player appeared in the top 10 league leaderboards. But I'm not sure how great a tool gray ink is if it penalizes more recent players for playing in a larger league. Seems to me that it's easier to appear in the top 10 when there are 8 rather than 16 teams in the league.

- Larkin also has a mildly compelling narrative as he played for his hometown team his whole career, winning a ring and an MVP along the way. I say "mildly" because two of the most recent shortstop inductees were given extra credit for intangibles (Ripken with The Streak; Ozzie with the highlights and backflips).

In sum, Larkin is a strong candidate for enshrinement. He is probably not , however, a "first ballot" Hall of Famer to enough voters to get him in this year. The lost time to injuries will stick out on his resume. He had only seven seasons of 140+ games, though he should get credit for playing most of the two strike years. Larkin also misses the mark on some key milestones. He was not quite a .300 hitter (career .295 with a .371 OBP). Nor did he reach 2,500 hits (finished with 2,340). He also falls just shy of 1,000 RBIs and 200 HRs. While he has terrific totals for a shortstop (10th in hits in a SS list that includes Banks and Yount; top 6 in doubles, stolen bases, and HRs), many voters do not properly adjust .offensive expectations for position.

Another retired shortstop who also rates well in the all-time shortstop lists is Alan Trammell, and the lack of BBWAA support for him (17.4% of the vote last year) gives us some pause. But I think that there are enough crucial differences in their candidacies. For one, Larkin was a better player (815 vs. 767 in OPS, big SB advantage). More importantly he was perceived as such and played in twice as many AS games (though in fairness Trammell's career almost perfectly coincided with Ripken's). Secondly, Larkin is a much more visible candidate due to his on-camera job with the MLB Network. All those demonstrations on the proper way to tag a runner out at second or discussions about his playing career reinforces Larkin's stardom. Trammell, on the other hand, is known for managing the 2003 Tigers team that went 43-119.

My hope is that Larkin's candidacy will resemble Ryne Sandberg's more than Trammell's. Sandberg also played an up-the-middle position well (9 GGs at 2B) for a long period of time, and was recognized as a great player (10 AS games, 1 MVP). Offensively he's pretty similar to Larkin, with comparable OPS+, SB, and games. Sandberg reached 76% of the vote in 2005, his third year on the ballot. He scored 49% in his first year. I'm hoping that Larkin nets at least 40% and closer to half of the ballot this year. If that's the case, he should gain admittance around his third or fourth year.

I'm keeping a very unofficial tally to see where the electorate is headed on Larkin. Votes are not published but writers are free to reveal their ballots and reasoning. Several non-procrastinators have already turned their ballots in and published their findings. So far Larkin has four "yes" votes, three "no" votes, and one "maybe." Feel free to update my tally if you see a ballot that's not listed. Try to make sure that it is from an eligible voter - if you're unsure, check the Biz of Baseball's badge list for members inducted no later than 2000.

Some of the votes so far:

- Bill Madden of the NY Daily News votes Yes. Good to see Larkin get a vote from a non-Midwest writer. Madden also votes for Alomar, Dawson, Edgar Martinez, Jack Morris, and Bert Blyleven. Swap Raines for Morris and you'd have my ballot.

- Ed Price of MLB Fanhouse votes No. He argues that in Larkin's best 10-year stretch he was only 34th in OPS+, which is equivalent to Jay Buhner or Ray Lankford. Not only does this ignore baserunning and undervalues Larkin's OBP, but more importantly this completely ignores the positional context. Jay Buhner and Ray Lankford didn't play a gold glove shortstop. Strangely, Price seems to account for this earlier in the article in articulating his standard: "Was he a dominant player at his position in his era?"

So what's your prediction?

Poll

Which year will Larkin gain induction?

Astros Free Agent Breakdown: Brandon Lyon

davoag — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:00:22 -0000

More photos » by Reinhold Matay - AP

Are you read to get to know the Astros' newest closer?

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The Houston Astros gave closer Brandon Lyon a 15 million, three-year contract last week, luring him away from the Detroit Tigers and beating out the Philadelphia Phillies for his services. Lyon threw 78 2/3 innings in his only season in Detroit with a 2.86 ERA, 57 strikeouts, 31 walks, seven home runs and an ERA+ of 161. His BABiP of .231 last season showed he was incredibly lucky to post that low an ERA and probably will fall back to earth some in 2010.

However, the goal of this post isn't to predict how Lyon will perform next season for the Astros. That can be saved for later in the offseason. I thought we could delve into the Pitch f/x data on Lyon to get to know him a little better.

First off, what does the 29-year old throw? Lyon has a four-pitch arsenal, including a four-seam fastball, a cut fastball, a slider and a sweeping slow curve*. Lyon throws his fastball about half the time, as most relievers do, but works in the curve next and the slider/cutter combo whenever he needs a sharp breaking pitch.

* These pitch types are defined by the Pitch f/x system, which has been known to misidentify pitches here and there. For the purposes of this, I've accepted this as random noise.

The chart below shows how fast Lyon threw last season, how often he threw a specific pitch on the first pitch of an at-bat and how often in general he threw it.

	Avg. Speed	% 0-0	% Thrown
Slider	88.52	10.42%	11.12%
Fastball	92.12	52.77%	54.75%
Cut Fastball	90.30	11.73%	12.31%
Curveball	76.85	23.13%	18.17%
Changeup	85.42	1.63%	1.19%

As you can see, Lyon hardly ever goes to his changeup and only threw 14 all season. His main off-speed pitch is the curveball and he uses that accordingly. It's a little surprising that he chose to throw it more as a first pitch than overall. This may be a case of the pitching coach telling him to keep guys from sitting on his fastball or simply Lyon needing to set a batter up with something slower first.

Here's another chart showing the percentage of times he threw each pitch for a strikeout and the speed of those pitches. As you can see, the speed on his fastball and curve ticked up just a bit for that third strike. However, with this small a sample, I'm not ready to draw anything from that. It's just cool to note.

	Avg. Speed	% Thrown
Curveball	78	48.21%
Slider	88.3	5.36%
Fastball	93.1	35.71%
Cutter	90.2	10.71%

Lyon threw a bit more pitches per plate appearance (3.76) than his career average (3.64), but also faced more batters (314) than ever before. Interestingly, his percentage of plate appearances ending in a strikeout was three points higher than his career average (18.2% in 2009) and his extra-base hit percentage (7.0%) was the lowest of his career.

Lyon did record his second-highest career swing-through percentage, getting 16% of his strikes swinging. This may explain the drop in his contact percentage to 79% in 2009, down from 83% in his career. His first strike percentage also dipped below 60 percent for only the second time in his career. I'd imagine this could be linked to him throwing more first-pitch curves.

I'm not sure if Jim Leyland just never developed any trust with Lyon after a few early-season blowups, but his average leverage index was also the lowest of his career, as Lyon was used more times in low leverage situatiosn (26) than in high (21) and came in 39 times with the bases empty. Lyon also pitched 25 multi-inning games, which was 36 percent of his career total and more than he'd pitched in the previous four seasons combined.

But, again, that's all information you can see on Baseball-Reference.com. What about his actual pitches? How do they move, is his slider for real, what's going on there? Let's attempt to answer some of those questions.

This first chart is a look at where a pitch breaks in the strike zone

Most of his fastballs tail in on the hands of batters and don't have much downward break. The cutter tends to stay pretty straight on a left and right break, sometimes shading away from hitters and sometimes shading back in. It actually looks like a slider, fitting in nicely with that slider group. The curveball breaks down and away from hitters, meaning it could be a nice pitch against free swinging right-handers, but also means the catcher better get used to blocking balls in the dirt.

The graph above measured a pitch's break in terms of where it crosses the plate. This next graph attempts to show the angle of break on a pitch and how much it deviates or 'bends' from a straight line from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's mitt.

See how similar the cutter and the slider are in angle and length of break? Both pitches break away from right-handers with the slider having slightly more bend to it. This made me think the two pitches were possibly just misidentified and that the 'cutters' were just sliders thrown a little harder. Not so. I checked the spin data for both pitches and the slider has both a slightly slower average spin rate and a different average spin direction.

Lyon's curveball has some serious bend to it and definitely works as his change of speed pitch, both in movement and location. His fastball again can be seen breaking in on right-handed batters, which could help explain his 1.38 groundout/air out ratio last season. All those fastballs tailing in on a batter's hands lead to more ground balls and thus, more double plays.

So, that's what you get. Hopefully, this will prepare you a little better when you watch Lyon next season. At some point, we'll take a look at his upcoming season through projections and history at MMP.

Wallace Becomes Taylor? Emotionally Confusing But Objectively Positive

Nico — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:15:04 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

I guess 3B was always going to be a stretch for Wallace.

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First of all, the A's should at least have taken the opportunity to acquire someone named Michael Gromit. But I suppose Michael Taylor will do, seeing as he actually exists and appears to be quite the toolsy young man. With this post, I address three separate issues: How it felt, emotionally, to learn of this trade, how the trade looks to me, objectively, and how I predict the A's will move forward from here.

Emotionally, my first reaction when I heard about the (presumed) trade was, "Noooooo!" because I have spent the last year thinking about "Carter, Wallace, and Cardenas." That's been my mantra. I know, shocking that I haven't been focused on "Kennedy, Eveland, and Hairston," but I haven't been. What got me through the 2009 season, and was going to sustain me as long as need be in 2010? "Carter, Wallace, and Cardenas."

The A's haven't had a really good hitter come up for so long, and I was looking forward to seeing Wallace and the sweet swing I've heard so much about. So I can't help but have a visceral reaction of disappointment to learn that his Oakland A's career will fall 2 games short of one Ryan Langerhans.

Objectively, though, I like the trade. The odds are better than not that Wallace's future is not on the left side of the infield, though frankly I will follow his career with true fascination because opinions on his defensive potential are so varied. And for the A's to trade a 1Bman or DH who can hit, for an OFer who can hit -- and run, and play defense -- is simply a good deal.

The more I read about Taylor, the more excited I am. Here's a guy who appears to have the profile of Jermaine Dye and the potential to be better (or the same, or worse -- that's the thing about a prospect). He is just the kind of player Beane has been saying he's looking for this Winter: 23, full of tools, a potential impact player who, if he is good, could be with the A's for many years alongside the core of Suzuki, Sweeney, Barton, Anderson, Cahill, Bailey, Carter, Cardenas...

What's Next? I realize that Fox and McPherson might see some time at 3B and that Chavez will be Plan A for as long as it's possible, but I have to think the A's are now in a position to deal from the OF and address the infield.

I think Ryan Sweeney will be an everyday RFer, because he was so good defensively, and the A's clearly believe in him, that I don't see them moving him to another team or moving him out of RF. I think Rajai Davis will be the CFer, because he's pretty cheap, and gives you guaranteed good defense at a key defensive position. I think if not Opening Day, then soon after, Michael Taylor will be the LFer -- giving the A's, if they keep those three, a really good defensive OF. Carter starts at AAA, Cunningham is either 4th OFer or starts at AAA, and Hairston is either a 4th OFer, or is traded if there's interest.

Buck is trade bait. Might the Tigers, having shed Curtis Granderson, be interested in a cheap, LH OFer like Buck? Perhaps -- depends on whether they think he's any good. The A's should go after (I may have mentioned this once or twice before) Brandon Inge!!!!!!, offering Buck, or Hairston, as part of a trade that is largely a salary dump for Detroit, but is a chance to fill a real need for Oakland.

Maybe you end up with this lineup in April or May, with Carter on the way to make things really interesting:

Davis - CF
Barton - 1B
Sweeney - RF
Fox/McPherson - DH
Suzuki - C
Taylor - LF
Inge - 3B
Ellis - 2B
Pennington - SS

We're getting there, folks. And it's only December 15th...

Evening Prowl: Still Roaring, D-Town Baseball, Kelly Johnson, and Those in Favor of the Grandy Trade

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:00:18 -0000

With the demise of MVN, many have wondered what will happen to Roar of the Tigers, Samara Pearlstein's fantastically illustrated blog. Thankfully for us all, Sam will keep on trucking, and has moved RotT to a Wordpress site. You can find the new address here, and check out the Floating Head Raft of Tigers.

(I also feel the need to point out - whether Sam would prefer me to or not - that her self-portrait is less than flattering. I always admire an illustrator/cartoonist willing to portray themselves as flawed, but Sam isn't being fair to herself, as funny as the image may be.)

As the smoke still clears from last week's roster upheaval, Tiger Tales' Lee Panas looks at where the Detroit lineup, rotation, and bullpen stand right now. Left and center field are question marks, as are the final two spots in the rotation.

Whenever the Tigers make a deal involving Edwin Jackson, D-Town Baseball is on it. After a year-long absence from the Tigersosphere (since the Tigers acquired Jackson from the Rays), Eric Jackson (no relation, I assume) posted some thoughts on the big deal. Eric's in favor of the trade, and lists four reasons why.

Kelly Johnson is one of the non-tendered players that's drawn much interest among Tigers fans. Dan Wade took a look at him for Baseball Digest Daily, and expects his batting average to bounce back in 2010. His walk rate and defense are concerns, however.

(Hat tip to The Detroit Tigers Weblog)

Tigers Tracks' "By the Numbers" series has reached Number 9. And with that comes the first current Tiger on John Parent's list. Next year's presumed left fielder, Carlos Guillen, gets profiled.

Also liking the Granderson-Jackson trade is Blake VandeBunte of The Spot Starters. While Blake thinks Dave Dombrowski has some more work to do, he likes that Brandon Lyon was let go and that most of the roster has been shopped around this offseason.

It kind of snuck out there over the weekend, but the Tigers are apparently not going to be making a serious bid (perhaps we can assume that means no bid at all) on Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.

One more in favor of the Grandy trade: Rogo at DesigNate Robertson wonders if the Tigers got some value for a player on the decline while he was still marketable.

It's almost a week old now, but if you missed it, The Dugout responds to Jim Leyland's expressed belief that managers and players shouldn't be able to argue out-safe calls at first base. Who would've guessed that Magglio Ordonez was such a skilled debater?

The Yankee View of Austin Jackson and Phil Coke

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:00:23 -0000

About a week after the big trade that sent Curtis Granderson off to the Yankees, many Tigers fans still have questions and reservations about the players Detroit received in return. In the past, we've talked to our buddy jscape2000 from our SB Nation brother site Pinstripe Alley when the Tigers and Yankees cross paths on the field or transaction wire. So he volunteered to provide some thoughts on Austin Jackson and Phil Coke:

Phil Coke: As I told Halos Heaven before the ALCS: The good news is that Phil Coke has a nasty slider. The bad news is that it's a breaking ball, and anyone who throws a breaking ball 25% of the time is bound to hang one eventually (1.5 HR/9).

Despite the high homerun rate and the high profile homers he gave up in the 8th inning of Game 5 of the World Series, I still have faith that Coke can be an important part of a major league bullpen. You can't hit him (44H in 60IP), so as long as he keeps his walks down, his high strikeout rate makes him a weapon.

Austin Jackson is a very good centerfield prospect, lacking only a cannon arm of the five tools. While I didn't get to see him play this year, when I've seen him in the past he reminded me of Derek Jeter, lunging into the ball. Unlike Jeter, it apparently is leaving some big holes in his swing (123K in 132G).

Despite that, he still hit .300/.354/.405 in AAA, very productive numbers from a 22 year old centerfielder. Don't be alarmed by his lack of power - I used to live in Scranton where the Yanks' AAA team is, and that minor league park is a pitcher's park- high wall and deep alleys. In Comerica, he'll put his speed to good use.

He's got great range- he's not top flight fast, but he takes very good routes. On the basepaths, he's developed good instincts (124 SB, 35 CS, 78%).

A two-sport high schooler, he's improved at each level as his baseball intelligence builds. I would probably start him at AAA and make him the first outfielder up, but I can see a scenario where he breaks with the team out of camp.

I don't know if this affects anyone's opinion of the trade or perception of what Detroit received in return, but it's a viewpoint from someone who's seen more of Jackson and Coke than most Tigers fans. (I get the feeling the Yankees are happier with Granderson, though.)

Braves Re-sign Mariano Gomez, Add Six Other Minor League Free Agents

cbwilk — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:45:49 -0000

If Brent Clevlen can put all 5 of his tools together at once he could make himself a valuable part of Atlanta's team.

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Gondeee got an early scoop on the Braves inking some Minor League free agents this week, but it was unconfirmed. Well, it's now official and Gondeee did indeed have himself a scoop. The Braves have brought back LHP Mariano Gomez and have added 1B Gerardo Avila, 1B Mauro Gomez, 2B Luis Bolivar, 2B Juan Gonzalez, 3B Eric Duncan, and OF Brent Clevlen.

Gomez spent all of 2009 with Gwinnett and had the best season of his career, posting a 8-4 record, 8 saves, 1.99 ERA, and 1.10 WHIP in 72.1 innings covering 47 appearances. He is tall (6'6") and lanky, creating some unusual angles and difficulties for hitters. He'll be 27 during the 2010 season and will likely be invited to Major League Spring Training with the Braves and be given a chance to fight for one of the last spots in the bullpen.

Clevlen is the best of these signings; he is an top notch defensive outfielder, capable of playing all three outfield positions along with possessing a strong, accurate arm. The 26 year old has played in 55 Major League games with the Tigers, hitting just .233 in 80 plate appearances from 2006 to 2008, shining in 06 with when he hit .282 with a 958 OPS in 42 plate appearances, hitting 3 home runs. He's spent most of the last three years with AAA Toledo and hit .261 with a .768 OPS, 26 doubles, 16 homers, 64 RBIS, and 10 stolent bases there this season. Aside from his defense, his biggest upside may be as a right handed hitter able to mash lefties, as he hit .331 with a 1.002 OPS and 8 home runs against lefties this season in just 151 at bats.

The 23 year old Avlies comes to the Braves from the Mariners' system where he spent last year playing for their short season Everett affiliate (basically the same level as Danville), hitting .333 with a .950 OPS, 13 home runs, and 54 RBI in just 231 plate appearances. In a five year caree he has only played 211 games and has yet to make it out of A ball. While he played some outfield early in his career, he's now limited to first base and isn't the best defender. His numbers and age don't suggest much future success so a Braves scout must have seen something he like and convinced the organization to sign him for lower level depth.

The other M. Gomez is a 25 year old first baseman who has spent the last two years playing for High A Bakersfield in the Rangers' organization. He had a monster season, hitting .285 with a .868 OPS to go with 35 doubles, 38 home runs and 94 RBIs. He also managed to strike out a whopping 141 times, good for 26% of his plate appearances. He's played a little bit of third base in his career but doesn't seem to be very good there; conversely, he appears to be a solid, if unimpressive first baseman.

Bolivar, who will be 29 at the start of the 2010 season, could be a candidate to sever as a utility player on Atlanta's bench. Primarily and middle infielder, he's played every position except catcher during his 8 year career in the Reds' system. He's best suited for second base where his skill set fits the needs of the position, but he has a strong enough arm and is athletic enough to be more than adequate around the field. His versatility is key since his bat isn't strong; he hit just .232 with a .620 OPS in 380 plate appearances for AAA Louisville this season. And, he strikes out a lot for a player without power, wiffing 70 times this year. He did steal 28 bases, his highest total in 5 season. At worst, he'll provide versatile depth for Gwinnett.

Atlanta will be the 6th organization for Gonzalez, who will be 28 at the start of the 2010 season. Mostly a shortstop early in his career, he's played more second and third base in recent years. Like Bolivar, he's athletic enough and has a strong enough arm to play around the infield and, also like Bolivar, his skill set makes him most suited for second base. The similarities don't stop there as his bat is also weak; splitting his season between AA Chattanooga and AAA Albuquerque he hit just .229 with a .637 OPS in 288 plate appearances. Unfortunately though, he doesn't have much speed anymore. He probably won't get much of a shot to make an impact on the Major League team an actually seems destined to provide depth for AA Mississippi.

Duncan, who has played a fair amount of first base in his career, and a little bit of outfield, in addition to his natural third base, isn't related to Shelley Duncan, though the two have been teammates for several years. This Duncan was actually the 27th overall pick by the Yankees in the 2003 draft, though he's never lived up to expectations, failing to ever make it to the Majors with New York. Through the 2006 season he seemed to be progressing well, even if he wasn't living up to his lofty draft status expectations, but since then he has stalled out in AAA for three seasons, with his percentage stats falling each year until this season when he managed to hit just .242 with a .527 OPS in 345 plate appearances for Scranton-Wilkes Barre. A change of scenery may be what he needs to turn things around, as it was no secret that he became disenfranchised with the Yankees' organization, seeing little chance of moving up given their preference to trade for veterans and sign free agents instead of promoting from within.

It was reported that the Braves had also signed 1B-OF Mitch Jones but that has yet to be confirmed. If true it would be a great signing as the 32 year old is coming off an oustanding 2009 season that saw him make his Major League debut with the Dodgers and hit .297 with a 1.015 OPS, 26 doubles, 35 homers, and 103 RBIS in 434 plate appearances for AAA Albuquerque.

The Braves also lost one of their own Minor League free agents as 2B Chris Burke signed with the Reds. Burke played well for Gwinnett, hitting .285 with a .752 OPS in 309 plate appearances. One of Burke's Gwinnett teammates, LHP John Halama wasn't technically a Braves' free agent, since he was released just after the season to allow him to pitch in the playoffs for the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the same team the Braves signed him from during the year, was signed by Milwaukee. Halama was also decent for the G-Braves, collecting a 4-7 record, 4.48 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 90.1 innings covering 16 appearances (13 starts).

There will surely be more Minor Leaguers joining and leaving the Braves and, as always, we'll keep you up to date here at Talking Chop.

CB Wilkins is the author of the baseball novel Four-A. The story follows a relief pitcher over the course of a year as he bounces between AAA and the Majors, attempting to balance his dreams and his reality. It can be purchased here: https://www.createspace.com/3407939