SB Nation User Blog: StickRat

The obligatory "Jonathan Sanchez for ..." post

StickRat — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:27:28 -0000

Disclaimer: I started this post an hour ago and was interupted by a phone call. So, if by chance this is now a rerun, I apologize.

I realize trade proposals are as taboo around here as heart-themed boxer shorts in the locker room. Since this ran at traderumors however ...

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/12/giants-will-lis.html

it is, as they say, official. So I thought I'd make an excuse to down a third cup of coffee and create this Jonahtan Sanchez trade proposal post. There were some interesting, though mostly cliche ideas after the traderumors article. I consider mine to be a bit more creative. Please feel free to offer your ideas. Or criticize mine.

Should you feel the need for a hijack topic ... Linda Richmond, is neither a Linda, nor a Richmond. Discuss. And please rememeber we now require puns for any Brewers player linked to a trade proposal.

Josh Bard

StickRat — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:47:20 -0000

I'm new here. Big baseball fan. Feel like I've got a Houston connection from following Rice University for so many years. Nice to meet you all.

Got to thinking about catching solutions for the Astros this year. Ed Wade has said he is looking for a short-term solution, meaning a two-year contract at most, with prospect Jason Castro in the wings. I read a rumor about the team making a run at Ramon Hernandez, but today read that the Orioles are considering trading him to the Reds for Ryan Freel.

Was curious to see what the interest is in Josh Bard -- released by the Padres earlier this offseason -- and figured who better to ask than an Astros nation who no doubt has the peak catching radar dialed this winter.

Stupid questions

StickRat — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:25:38 -0000

I'm starting this post because I think it is a worthy cause, and am hoping people recommend it so it will be around for awhile. There are numerous times I have wanted to ask questions of a minor nature; silly questions about what someone's trade value is, or where everyone thinks a player will be playing in two years, etc. Of course, I always write these questions off as too stupid to warrant starting a new post. I often ask these questions when the opportunity presents itself, but of course most people don't read every post.

So, I am starting an official "Stupid questions" post, and will lead things off in response style. Hopefully many of you have experienced this too, and this idea will catch on.

A couple simple rules to keep things efficient:

1 - If you ask a question, answer someone else's question, in the spirit of making sure most if not all folks get some feedback.

2 - Try to take questions in the spirit they are intended. If it is a serious question, don't throw someone a screwball on the fists. Unless of course it's my question. Then bring it.

3 - Joke and non-baseball questions are welcome as far as I'm concerned, but please feel encouraged to first ask serious baseball questions you want answered.

4 - *Please denote fantasy questions with an asterisk at the beginning of the post title. Many people get frustrated when a question or topic piques their interest, only to discover it is about fantasy sports.

5 - If someone asks a question that seems completely redundant, make sure there is nothing additional that the poster is asking that was not covered in the question's previous incarnation. If it is utterly redundant, simply reply "see above" or something useful of the like.

Thanks and hope this is helpful.

Minor league free agents

StickRat — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:22:33 -0000

With the free-agent season officially starting today, and all the rumors of C.C. Sabathia and Rafael Furcal garnering so much attention, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some less likely heroes. MLB.com today published the list of Minor League Baseball free agents. The link is posted below. I have compiled a quick list of the 10 players I think could be potential impact adds to the Giants system. I hope you all can fish out some unusual suspects of your liking from the MiLB pool.

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/mlb/minorleagues/free_agents.jsp

Royce Ring ~ LHP - A one time top-level prospect, Ring still has some upside. He reestablished himself in August after missing most of the year. Control is his only impending hurdle.

Marcus McBeth ~ RHP - The one-time A’s prospect had a disappointing season in the Reds system after being swapped for Chris Denorfia. The Red Sox then scooped him on a waiver claim and McBeth finished ’08 in a dynamic stint with AAA Pawtucket.

Jason Lane ~ OF - A Santa Rosa native, Lane has stagnated in AAAA limbo since a standout ’05 season in which he hit 26 homeruns with the Astros. Two things the Giants lack: power and right-handed hitting outfielders. Lane is both, and can handle southpaw pitching at any level.

Matt Whitney ~ 1B - Once a power prospect with the Indians, Whitney slowed in repeating AA last season. He is just 24 however, and despite hitting .268 last year saw a 50-point spike in both his second-half batting average and slugging percentage.

Blaine Neal ~ RHP - Perhaps one of the most sensational AAA stories last year, Neal saved 26 games for Toledo in the Tigers system. Probably the only thing that prevented a big-league call-up was that the 30-year old was selected as the closer for the Olympic team.

Jarod Plummer ~ RHP - Very similar makeup as Neal, Plummer has been hovering as a fringe prospect in the Royals system for several years. Still just 25, he repeated AA with moderate results, but improved in the second half of the season.

Jordan Czarniecki ~ OF - Another guy who can fulfill the organizational need for a right-handed hitting outfielder, Czarniecki was scooped by the Angels last season after some decent years in the Marlins organization. He can hit lefties, and still boasts athleticism and speed as a 29-year old journeyman.

Justin Pope ~ RHP - After an exceptional season as a situational right-hander in AA Reading for the Phillies organization, Pope is struggling with control in the Venezuelan Winter League. He will turn 30 next year, and is an odds-on improbability to be an impact big leaguer. Still, he’s had a good minor-league career, having now played in the Cardinals, Yankees, and World Champion Phillies systems.

John Van Benschoten ~ OF - Just hear me out on this one. When the Pirates drafted Van Benschoten in 2001, most in the scouting world agreed he was a legit five-tool prospect as an outfielder. The Pirates wanted him as a pitcher. He is currently surviving in the Mexican winter league and could still flourish as a decent big-league pitcher. However, in 2001, I filled out 20 or so write-in all-star ballots for Ryan Vogelsong as a right fielder. So, now that Rick Ankiel has set precedent, you can see why I believe it isn’t all too crazy to consider converting Van Benschoten.

Lou Lucca ~ 3B - He’s a hometown product out of South San Francisco and has a storied minor-league career. He will be 38 next season and has never played in the big leagues. All Scott McClain references aside, Lucca has the skills and grit to affect the organization with or without a big-league promotion. And considering the need for corner infield depth, why not take a chance on a hometown guy and allow him to finish a prolific career in style.

Analysis request: Junichi Tazawa

StickRat — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:58:14 -0000

It looks like one of the biggest names out of Japan this year is going to be Junichi Tazawa, a 22-year old that is trying to bypass Japanese pro ball to jump straight to the U.S. as a free agent. He has very projectable stuff: good fastball with excellent location, and has an assortment of workable breaking pitches.

However, I've got some concerns about his mechanics, and thought I'd take the opportunity to make my first post at Driveline Mechanics. Long time listener, first time caller ... as they say.

So, I'd love to read some expert analysis of Tazawa's mechanics. Thank you. In case the vid doesn't embed below. Here is the the url ...

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=sxRKY_Xg5tQ

Your 2008 Giants: Playoff Edition

StickRat — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:05:31 -0000

This is a fantasy thread of sorts. In our own minds, we’re all great G.M.’s. Like many of you, as a Giants fan, I spend thankless hours tooling and retooling the Giants. It’s an imperfect science. I make roster tweaks. In reality they go unrequited. So a couple weeks later I take the roster at face value and start the rebuild all over again. Well, in my infinite boredom with no team for which to root at the outset of this year’s postseason, I got to thinking. What if all the best case scenarios of my wishful G.M. thinking of years passed had panned out? What would the 2008 Giants have to consist of to be a playoff-caliber team?

So I invite everyone to play along. The parameters for my team are as follows: 1) everyone on the team is someone that could have been acquired. 2) Over past years I had a real-time scenario to acquire each player. 3) There are no overly ridiculous chemistries in the financial or personality departments (no cost-prohibitive combos like Soriano, Beltran, and Guerrero … no impossible clubhouse mixes like Mesa and Omar). 4) Taking the draft curve into consideration, I have taken liberties to add or subtract actual draft picks to adjust for where a better Giants team would have selected over previous drafts.

Those are simply my personal parameters, because if I don’t keep this thing real, I lose sleep at night. I’m sure some of you understand. Please employ your own parameters, rules, gravity, etc. in making your World Series-bound 2008 Giants team. And, please feel free to bag on my team all you want.

So without further pomp and happenstance, I give you MY … ahem … I mean YOUR 2008 World Series Champion Giants:

Lineup:

RF – Randy Winn (would have traded for him with Tampa before ’03)

2B – Craig Counsell (signed before ’07 to platoon with Kevin Frandsen)

CF – Carlos Beltran (one of two big free agent signing before ’05)

1B – Derrek Lee (acquired from Florida before ’04)

LF – Raul Ibanez (acquired for Nate Schieholtz before ’08 trade deadline)

SS – Orlando Cabrera (second big free agent signing before ’05)

3B – Pablo Sandoval (called up during ’08 for injury-plagued Bard)

C – Jason Kendall (signed before ’08 season after retirement of Doug Mirabelli)

Bench:

IF – Rich Aurilia (signed before ’08 to platoon at 3B with Counsell)

IF – Emmanuel Burriss (eventually called up and excelled after Frandsen injury)

OF – Fred Lewis (good starter for first half of ’08, made way for Ibanez acquisition)

OF – Jose Cruz Jr. (resigned before ’08 for defensive purposes)

C – Josh Bard (acquired before ’07 season)

Rotation:

RH – Tim Lincecum

LH – Barry Zito

RH – Matt Cain

LH – Randy Wolf (acquired at ’08 deadline to strengthen rotation)

LH – Jonathan Sanchez

Bullpen:

CL – Brian Wilson (started ‘08 as setup man, but took over closer with Aardsma injury)

RH – Ryan Madson (acquired before ’07)

LH – Jeremy Affeldt (signed before ’08)

RH – Doug Brocail (signed before ’08)

RH – Josh Fields (drafted in ’08, and was fast-tracked to solve Oscar Villareal debacle)

LH – Alex Hinshaw (called up in ’08 and thrived)

RH – Kevin Correia (started ’08 in rotation, valuable bullpen add after returning from DL)

The Pablo Sandoval Award: NL West

StickRat — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:15:10 -0000

In honor of the phenomenal rise of Pablo Sandoval through the Giants system, I am researching every team’s farm system for the player that most raised his stock within his respective organization. All of these players were exempt from Baseball America’s 2008 team Top 10s, and most were not ranked in John’s Top 20s. To qualify, a player must have over a year’s pro service as of the end of the 2008 season, so no one drafted or signed in 2008 will be considered.

This will be a six-part series, with one installment for each division. I’m going from the gut on these, so I’m sure there will be some discrepancies in opinion. Feel free to note any players that are more deserving. However, please crosscheck to be sure your choices are not on the above mentioned prospect lists. (Or, if a player is listed deep in the Sickles Top 20, make sure your choice is lower on the list.)

So, the first installment of the Pablo Sandoval Award will feature the National League West. Enjoy….

Arizona – Kyler Newby, RHP ~ With a farm system that has quickly diminished in depth due to acquisitions for big leaguers, the D-Backs will be depending on a lot median talent to fill out the system. Josh Whitesell is sure to be one of the several names to rise on the prospect chart. The Pablo Award however goes to right-hander Kyler Newby, who has emerged as one of the best pitching prospects in the system. Newby was sidelined for most of 2007 by an elbow injury, but was fairly dominant in the hitter-friendly California League this year. Featuring a devastating changeup to compliment a fastball/splitter combo, he totaled 16 saves in 67 innings of work for Visalia, striking out 86 while walking 30, and was more effective against lefties, holding them to a .165 batting average.

Colorado – Darin Holcomb, 3B ~ Recently being named the Sally League MVP, Holcomb has emerged as a legit late-blooming prospect, much like fellow Gonzaga alum Jason Bay. Holcomb has drawn comps to Garrett Atkins for his strike zone discipline. He struck out just 60 times against 65 walks this year in 509 at bats, and impressed with a .318 batting average. Based on his 5-foot-11 frame, he could be a candidate for a conversion to second base. However he may have enough power to remain at third or move to a corner outfield. He had 46 doubles this year at Ashville, so may have more of a power ceiling than his 14 homeruns would indicate.

Los Angeles – Matthew Wallach, C ~ Carlos Santana would have given even Pablo Sandoval some competition for the Pablo Award in the NL West until he was traded to Cleveland for Casey Blake. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot of surging talent in the Dodgers system. There is a lot of opportunity in the system at the catcher position though. While nepotism is certainly not the end-all for prospect scouting, Wallach is looking more and more like a chip off the block of his old man, Tim. Although he was repeating the rookie-class Pioneer League this season, he improved his slugging percentage by over .100 points, boosting it to .571 in 184 at bats. As a left-handed hitter, he hit went 21 for 60 against southpaws. Meanwhile he has demonstrated solid tools behind the plate and proved he can catch on a daily basis.

San Diego – Jackson Quezada, RHP ~ The Padres had a lot of notable contenders – including OF Luis Durango and 2B Eric Sogard – for the Pablo Award. Quezada rose to the top of chart though with 27 saves in the Midwest League. Coming off a decent 2007, the right-hander held opponents to a mere .180 batting average in 2008, while striking out 79 against 19 walks in 63.2 innings. He features a low-90s fastball, and has advanced sinking movement. It is possible the 22-year old, 170-pound Dominican will add velocity as he continues to grow into his 6-foot-4 frame.

San Francisco – Pablo Sandoval, C ~ The award is named after him because he has defied every scouting bureau in the world. He plays the toughest position in baseball. He is a switch hitter. He was in A-ball at the all-star break. Yet, Pablo Sandoval has came out of nowhere and has emerged as one of the premier hitting prospects in all of baseball. He combined to hit .350 between two levels of minor-league ball in the Cali and Eastern Leagues, and has kept on keeping on, hitting over .330 since being promoted to the big leagues. He best comps to Max Ramirez both sides of the ball, though he has more versatility on defense as he can play first and third in addition to catcher, which will be very useful in getting him at bats to keep his valuable bat fresh.

Baseball's Mt. Rushmore

StickRat — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:04:05 -0000

I was watching HBO last night and caught the commercial for the upcoming Bob Costas special with guests Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Looks like a must see. The commercial features Costas saying to Mays and Aaron that if there was a baseball Mt. Rushmore, the two of them would surely be on it.

The comment got me to thinking, and I thought it would be fun to see everyone's idea of what four baseball legends would belong on such a monument. So, what four players would you choose? It's near impossible for me to narrow it to just four, but my choices are:

Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente.

Yours?

Beltre, Moreland, or Smoak?

StickRat — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:17:45 -0000

If you are ANYWHERE near Clinton, Iowa, get to Alliant Energy Field (here are transpo directions: http://clinton.lumberkings.milb.com/ballpark/page.jsp?ymd=20060208&content_id=40982&vkey=ballpark_t500&fext=.jsp&sid=t500) for one of the final six LumberKings home games from Aug. 21-26.

Justin Smoak has been assigned there, which imho gives Clinton the most intriguing trio of hitting prospects on any one team throughout the minors. We all know the Smoak comps to Mark Teixeira ... switch-hitting first baseman with power, great glove, advanced skills. It has been reported he will make his first pro start tomorrow.

Mitch Moreland is one of the best sleeper prospects in the minors. He has drawn comps to Chris Davis because of his left-handed approach, compact and powerful with a phenomenal Slg.% relative to BB/SO-rate: .533, 54/56. He was drafted as a first-baseman as a two-way plyaer out of Will Clark's alma mater Mississippi State. The Rangers have converted him to RF, where his only weakness is subpar-to-average speed.

Engel Beltre has been called the best prospect in the Rangers system. The 18-year old Dominican is raw, fast, powerful; all the tools to be a superstar. He has drawn just 12 walks against 94 strikeouts, but has improved his .291 batting average 20 points since the All-Star break, and is slugging .417 to compliment his 29 stolen bases.

So, if you could choose one of these players straight up for your team, Who would you choose?

Poll

Which one player would you most like to have in your farm system?

Engel Beltre

33 votes

Mitch Moreland

5 votes

Justin Smoak

177 votes

215 votes | Poll has closed

The trade epidemic as it pertains to Justin Duchscherer

StickRat — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:06:36 -0000

Hello A's Nation. I'm new to this site, and am looking forward to posting here. Looks like one of the better boards at SBNation.

Yesterday, in the thread regarding Pirates 3B prospect Neil Walker, I proposed the A's should consider trading for Cal alum Allen Craig. The thread was removed from the mainpage today, and I really am curious to gauge a fan response to the idea; not so much about acquiring Craig, but about the possiblity of trading Justin Duchscherer for such a high-valued, close-to-the majors prospect.

Here is the link to the post from the Walker thread:

http://www.athleticsnation.com/2008/8/12/592094/taj-s-tuesday-trade-target#8123043

It's no secret the A's have staked the future of the franchise on the populace of minor-leaguers acquired for great starting pitchers. Would it surprise anyone if Duchscherer was traded this offseason? Would it be a smart move, or do you all think he is too valuable at this stage, being he is one of the few veteran starting pitchers in the organization?