SB Nation User Blog: sggut95

Tazawa Scouting Report

sggut95 — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:18:52 -0000

Let me preface by saying I'm not a scout, but I did play baseball in high school and college, and still consider myself a student of the game.

Saw some video of Tazawa from Japan, and here's what I can guesstimate about his stuff:

Fastball sits comfortably between 90-93. Tazawa seems to be able to spot the pitch to either side of the plate at will, though he favors the outside (to righties/inside to lefties) corner. Tazawa turned the fastball over a couple times, shaving a few ticks off it, but giving it pretty decent lateral movement, in to righties. Seemed to be able to command that pitch, too.

Secondary pitch looks like a looping, 12-6 curve with pretty decent break. Throws it pretty high in the zone, freezing hitters for a called strike, but changed elevation with it once or twice to get a swing and a miss. Effective pitch in Japan, but I suspect better hitters would crush the pitch when it's up.

Also throws some sort of change-up, maybe a forkball that he'll drop down in the dirt to try to get people to chase. Didn't see a lot of those in the clip, but if I remember right, it's about 6-10 mph off his fastball.

I would say his stuff would translate pretty well to MLB. Serviceable #4-#5 starter. Can't really project any more, with the small sample size, but none of his pitches strike me as plus pitches, though he may have plus command. One wrinkle is that he seems to pitch naturally from the stretch, even with the bases empty. This might make him more suitable in the 7th or 8th inning, unless the Sox have him learn to pitch from the windup in the minors. He's only 22, so that's not out of the question. One negative, if he does project as a reliever: he has a long load, which makes him pretty slow to the plate. Might be vulnerable to the steal.

Video is here, if you want to see for yourself.

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

Pitchers ERA at Arlington

sggut95 — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:44:37 -0000

I've been scratching my head and wondering why the Rangers just can't seem to get any decent pitching together. Writers always say the ballpark is a hitters' paradise and pitchers' poison, kind of like the AL version of Coors Field. Yet, Kenny Rogers managed to pitch there pretty effectively. I was curious, so I looked at some numbers. Here are the pitchers, grouped by pitching style, who have had success at Arlington and those that haven't.

Power Pitchers:

Justin Verlander: 2-0, 0 ER in 14 IP

Scott Kazmir: 1-0, 2.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP in 14 IP

Roy Oswalt: 2-4, 3.94 ERA, 1.35 WHIP in 48 IP

Johan Santana: 3-2, 4.04 ERA, 1.16 WHIP in 42 IP

CC Sabathia: 4-2, 4.71 ERA, 1.60 WHIP in 36 IP

Felix Hernandez: 2-4, 6.82 ERA, 1.67 WHIP in 31 IP

Rich Harden: 1-1, 7.66 ERA, 2.01 WHIP in 22 IP

Sinkerball Pitchers:

Derek Lowe: 1-2, 3.48 ERA, 1.40 WHIP in 20 IP

Fausto Carmona: 1-0, 0 ER, 3 H in 8 IP

Chien Ming Wang: 1-0, 3 ER, 7 H in 6 IP

Roy Halladay: 4-3, 6.14 ERA, 1.44 WHIP in 63 IP

Tim Hudson: 2-5, 6.80 ERA, 1.78 WHIP in 47 IP

Brandon Webb: 0-1, 5 ER, 10 H in 5.2 IP

Others:

Kenny Rogers: 53-27, 3.99 ERA, 1.37 WHIP in 742 IP

Vicente Padilla: 15-11, 4.19 ERA, 1.36 WHIP in 202 IP

Mike Mussina: 6-4, 3.94 ERA, 1.15 WHIP in 75 IP

Mark Buehrle: 3-1, 3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP in 31 IP

Kevin Millwood: 19-12, 5.09 ERA, 1.49 WHIP in 235 IP

John Lackey: 4-5, 6.50 ERA, 1.72 WHIP in 72 IP

Looking at it, I find it hard to establish any recognizable pattern. Halladay and Webb, who have two of the hardest sinkers in baseball, struggled (though Webb is a small sample size). I figured sinkerballers would do well in Arlington. Sabathia, Harden, and Felix Hernandez, who have great stuff, struggled, too. Kenny Rogers, Mark Buehrle, and Mike Mussina, who have good command and lack overpowering stuff, all have had a lot of success. Padilla has actually been pretty good.

What does this all mean for the future of Rangers pitching? What are your thoughts?

A's Prospect Love from Callis

sggut95 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:35:15 -0000

Excerpt from a Jim Callis chat on espn.com:

Bryan (Annapolis,MD): Which system has the best top 3 pitching prospects? (including recent draftees)

Jim Callis: Off the top of my head, the A's with Anderson, Cahill and choose one of Simmons, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Mazzaro, etc.

I'm hopefully going to watch Simmons pitch tonight in San Antonio, so I'll post my observations some time tomorrow. Anderson threw very well yesterday, and by now people know about Cahill. So who's number three? The one time I saw Rodriguez this year, he did not impress me. His stuff is fantastic, with a 98 mph fastball, tight slider, and a 2-seamer that sits comfortably at 94. Gio Gonzalez hasn't gotten a lot of love from guys like Ketih Law. Thoughts?

Trade Talk

sggut95 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:09:49 -0000

Sunday trade talk from Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.

Right-handed pitcher Homer Bailey, once the shining light of the organization, has been a bust and could be used to get the young catcher the Reds seek.

Pure speculation on Stone's part, but, as we know, the Rangers do have a lot of young catchers. Would they be willing to take on a reclamation project, kind of like the Reds did with one Edinson Volquez?

Trade Rumor

sggut95 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:59:05 -0000

From Buster Olney's blog on espn.com, which is insider content, so you may not be able to see the whole thing, but here's the excerpt:

Some scout speculation: That Oakland and Tampa Bay will discuss a deal built around Huston Street and Matt Murton heading to the Rays, for prospects.

Not sure what to make of this, but I know Tampa Bay was rumored to be looking for another outfield bat. Street seems like a pretty good fit for the Rays, given Troy Percival's age and relative fragility.

Pure speculation here, but I would guess the A's could get some decent prospects in return, from among Jeff Nieman, Jeremy Hellickson, Wade Davis, John Jaso, and Desmond Jennings. (No way the Ray's are giving up Price. Keep dreaming there.)

Trade Rumor w/Red Sox

sggut95 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:36:18 -0000

Reported on mlbtraderumors.com, the Red Sox are apparently looking for a young catching prospect.

The Red Sox are still looking for an heir to Jason Varitek's throne. Apparently the Sox have inquired about catching prospects. The Rangers are considered to have the game's largest surplus at the position.

I mentioned this a while ago, but dealing either Max Ramirez, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or Taylor Teagarden for a young pitcher or pitchers like Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden would make a lot of sense for the Rangers. I think they could probably get Masterson/Bowden plus a reliever like Craig Hansen or a low level prospect with upside like Josh Reddick or Ryan Kalish.

Thoughts?

Rangers Catching Dilemma

sggut95 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:40:13 -0000

The Texas Rangers have three top-notch catching prospects in their organization, plus one 28-year-old current starter in Gerald Laird, who was hitting .306/.360/.437 before going on the 15-day DL.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Laird's backup most of the season, is hitting a dismal .214/.338/.333 with 3 HR in 117 AB this season, and boasts a career .252/.318/.398 career mark in 425 AB.

Max Ramirez, recently called up from AA Frisco, caught last night's game, was hitting .363/.457/.662 with 17 HR in 237 AB before joining the Arlington club. He hit a homer in his second game, and has also started at 1B.

Taylor Teagarden is hitting .240/.368/.426 with 5 HR in 129 AB at AAA Oklahoma City, after hitting .310/.426/.586 with 27 HR in 394 AB between high A Bakersfield and AA Frisco in 2007.

So what do the Rangers do here, with this apparent logjam? They seem to have a glut of riches, in that they've also recently called up 1B Chris Davis, who promptly hit two homers in his first 8 at bats, after hitting .333 with 23 HR between AA Frisco and OK City.

I see the potential for a trade for a young starting pitcher, possibly a deal with the Red Sox for a Masterson or Bowden. What are your thoughts?

Max Ramirez

sggut95 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:39:57 -0000

This is partially in response to the Chris Davis post, which got a lot of feedback. As most of you know by now, Max Ramirez is another Rangers prospect who is on an absolute tear. He is systematically demoralizing Texas League pitchers, and I'm personally shocked he hasn't been promoted to AAA yet. He's just 23, listed at 5'11", 175 (which I don't believe for a second. Try 195.), listed also as a catcher (though he spends a lot of time at DH). He's hitting .352/.451/.639 with 16 HR, and a 55:35 K:BB ratio in 230 AB. I saw him in person when he came to town, and he looked to me to be a patient hitter, willing to work counts, take walks, and wait for his pitch. Showed an ability and willingness to take an outside pitch the opposite way, and just scorched the ball whenever he hit it.

So here's the question: What do the Rangers do with him? Fellow prospect Chris Davis was promoted to AAA. Ramirez was not. Scouts doubt Ramirez can stick at catcher. But his bat seems to be for real. He's hit well at every level (though this year's numbers are definitely a spike), with career minor league numbers at .311/.414/.512 over 5 seasons (started rookie ball at 19). Do the Rangers shift him to first base? He's blocked there by Davis and eventually Smoak. Do they make him an outfielder? Seems to be room there. Do they try to keep him at catcher? Blocked by Saltalamachia, Laird, and Teagarden. How about DH? Do you make a 23-year-old a career DH?

Whatever position he plays, I think he'd also make a very attractive bargaining chip for some pitching help. Who's buying?

Any thoughts?

Five Prospects Under the Radar

sggut95 — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:18:40 -0000

These guys are tearing up AA, but none are considered top prospects by Baseball America. Welcome any feedback, if anyone has scouting reports/observations.

#5 Vince Mazzaro, RHP, Midland (OAK). 7-3/2.29/60:24 K:BB/86 IP. He's only 21, has a lot of organizational competition in Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, James Simmons, et al, but his numbers are outstanding in the hitter-friendly Texas League, which, by the way, has been chewing up another top A's prospect, RHP Henry Rodriguez.

#4 Jesus Guzman, 3B, Midland (OAK). Hitting .355/.406/.560, albeit in the Texas League. He's 24, and, to be honest, I've never heard of him before, but he has some pop (12 HR in 282 AB). Looks like he's spent quite a bit of time in AA, but seems to be catching on. Not too old yet, and if he can play a decent 3B, he could have some value.

#3 David Huff, LHP, Akron (CLE). 5-2/2.23/74:15/76 IP. Stats are combined between Akron and two starts for AAA Buffalo. He's only 23, blocked by guys like Jeremy Sowers, Adam Miller and, to an extent, Aaron Laffey, but he's outpitched Cleveland's #2 prospect, fellow lefty Chuck Lofgren, and earned a promotion. If he keeps it up in AAA, he's a guy to keep an eye on, with Miller injured, Westbrook out for the season, and either Sabathia or Byrd likely to get dealt in the coming months.

#2 Luke Hughes, 3B, New Britain (MIN). 23 years old, hitting the stuffing out of the ball in the Eastern League. .335/.407/.618 with 13 HR in 191 AB. Never heard of this guy, but the Twins could seriously use an upgrade at the hot corner.

#1 Max Ramirez, C/DH, Frisco (TEX.) Absolutely tearing up Texas League pitching. Leads the league with a ridiculous 1.042 OPS, hitting .353/.444/.647 with 16 home runs. He's listed as a catcher, but spends a lot of time at DH. Scouts doubt he can stay at catcher, but his bat is for real. Going into the year, he wasn't considered even in the top 10 of Rangers prospects, but you can't argue with his success. Blocked by former teammate Chris Davis and now Ryan Smoak at first, but if he can convert to outfield, he might be in a Rangers uniform sooner than later.