SB Nation User Blog: Ghostrider520

Brett Wallace Traded - Again

Ghostrider520 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:18:04 -0000

Brett Wallace Traded - Again

The Athletics are sending Brett Wallace north to America's Hat (aka Canada). Remember the Jays have Edwin Encarnacion at third thanks to the Rolen trade, so Wallace doesn't seem to slide in to a roster spot with the big club. He could possibly DH or play first base if Toronto can find any takers for Lyle Overbay.

Separated at Birth (Off-Season Edition) - Updated 12/16

Ghostrider520 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:28:24 -0000

Whilst the hot stove is percolating and the void in left field looms larger by the day, I thought it might be fun to do a "Separated at Birth" post, which includes players currently on the 40-man roster, as well as some memorable faces from the past. Let me know what you think about my match-ups and feel free to contribute your own!

It's going to be a long winter, so we might as well entertain ourselves!

This post is going to be a work in progress...


Chris Carpenter	Scott Foley


Ryan Franklin	Mark Zupan (Murderball)


David Freese	James Lafferty


Khalil Greene	Draco Malfoy


Brad Penny	Larry The Cable Guy


Jose Oquendo	An Ewok


Dennis Eckersley	Gallagher


Mark McGwire	Cowardly Lion


Ryan Ludwick	Forrest Gump


John Mabry	David Schwimmer

Trever Miller, LOOGY Extraordinaire

Ghostrider520 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:54:56 -0000

We all remember the off-season saga that was the signing, un-signing, and then signing of Trever Miller. To think, the Cardinals almost pulled the plug on the deal because of Miller's shoulder issue. I can't even imagine where we would be in the standings without him consistently retiring left-handed batters (and occasionally some right-handed ones).

So, how good has Trever been this year?

Overall line: 42 appearances, 27.1 IP, 18 hits, 6 ER, 9 BB, 32 Ks, 6 holds, 0.99 WHIP, 1.98 ERA

Left-handed batters are 7 for 64 against Miller. 7 for 64! That translates to a .109 average. Of those 64 plate appearances, 29 have ended via the strikeout (with only 4 walks, to boot). Even when you include appearances against right-handed batters, his K/BB ratio of 3.56 is outstanding. His LOB% is pretty remarkable too, 87.7%.

Miller is poised to post his best season yet. His lowest ERA was 3.02 in 2006 (with a WHIP of 1.09) as a member of the Houston Astros. He appeared in 70 games that year, although I don't see him getting close to that this year.

In my opinion, there are a handful of reasons behind his success this year.

Limited exposure. Tony is not running him out there every night in an attempt to turn his arm into a noodle. He's on pace to appear in 67 games, but those appearances have typically been limited to just 1 batter.
Less fastballs, more sliders. In 2007 and 2008 (ERA of 4.86 and 4.15, respectively) Miller was throwing his fastball close to 60% of the time. In 2009, Miller has gone with the heater just shy of 50% of the time. As for the slider, Miller threw it 13% of the time in 2007 and 17% of the time in 2008. In 2009, Miller has thrown the 76 MPH (on average) slider 40% of the time.
A more effective slider. While his slider velocity has not changed over the past few seasons, it is breaking at a rate of -5.9 inches (horizontal movement). He has also significantly decreased the vertical movement of the pitch, meaning there is less of a chance that he will throw a "humpy" slider a la Brad Lidge in 2005. We all remember what happens to hanging sliders right? They get deposited on the train tracks. The pitch is moving vertically about 1 inch, as opposed to 4 inches in 2007 and 3 inches in 2009.

Realistic Option - Lefty Reliever

Ghostrider520 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:10:04 -0000

We've all read the "sign Hudson, Furcal, and Fuentes" posts on the various Cardinal forums across the internet, but let's be realistic! Spend wisely and we can fill multiple holes on the roster while still being thrifty. Assuming Villone will not be back and the future of Flores and Johnson is still in flux, the Cardinals will be looking to go outside the organization for a left-handed reliever. What about Brian Shouse? He is due to become a free agent if and when the Brewers are eliminated from the playoffs. Sure Shouse is 40 years old and he's had a terrible September, but his splits this season against lefties are fantastic. In 100 AB's, lefties are hitting just .180 against him. Looking back from 2005-2007, lefties hit a mere .219. Over the last 3 years, he has struck out 3 times as many lefties as he has walked. Point is, the guy makes lefties look foolish.

He seems to be getting better with age and could definitely help the Cardinals from the left side. I'd say he's worth a 1 year deal, anywhere between $2 million and $3 million. If the team decides to bring Springer back, the two could be a very solid 7th or 8th inning shut-down combo to get it to the closer (whomever that may be). There are definitely other arms out there (Fuentes, Eyre, Ohman), but Shouse seems to be the most affordable and reliable. Any thoughts?