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« Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Matt Murton | Main | Open Thread: Best/Worst Trades For Every Current GM »
Rangers Acquire Dustin Nippert
Smart move by Jon Daniels tonight, as the Rangers acquired out of options pitcher Dustin Nippert from the Diamondbacks for minor league reliever Jose Marte.
Nippert, 27 in May, was said to have "top of the rotation stuff" by Baseball America in their '07 handbook. The 6'7" TJ survivor throws in the mid-90s with a strong curve. He hasn't had any big league success, but there's upside here. The Rangers can afford to stash Nippert on the active roster and let him struggle in '08; the D'Backs couldn't.
I can't tell you much beyond stats about Marte - he's a 24 year-old relief prospect with huge strikeout rates. He struggled with his control as a High A ball closer last year. Better than nothing, which was Josh Byrnes' alternative if he tried to pass Nippert through waivers.
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Seems like a no-lose acquisition by the Rangers. If he pans out to be even a 4/5 starter then that'd be beneficial for them. The problem is that Texas is probably one of the worst places to go if you're trying to figure out how to harness your "top of the rotation stuff". I don't know very much about the kind of pitcher Nippert is, so if someone could offer a short scouting report I'd appreciate it, but if he's a flyball pitcher then I doubt he'll ever find success.
Posted by: scribbletone | March 28, 2008 at 09:51 PM
Arizona made this move even though they don't know how long Doug Davis will be out? Who are other options that Arizona has to replace Davis in the rotation while he's out?
Posted by: Boswa73 | March 28, 2008 at 10:24 PM
The D-Backs have plenty of options to replace Davis. Edgar Gonzalez, Billy Buckner, Juan Gutierrez, Brandon Medders, and Yusmeiro Petit. One for the Bullpen one for the rotation.
Posted by: Joe | March 28, 2008 at 10:43 PM
Speaking of Buckner, how has he been looking this ST ?
It says that Davis is having surgery for the cancer, so i guess that means he wont be ready for the start of the season. Who would be most likely to step in for him ?
Posted by: BaseBallz | March 28, 2008 at 11:08 PM
Not so sure on this deal...but maybe time will tell. Yusmeiro Petit will most likely step in for Davis while he is out. But, the way Nippert was pitching (awful), seems there was a decent chance that he could have slipped through waivers and been able to pitch at AAA Tucson this year...and a chance to work out his throwing issues...
Posted by: dbacksbuzz | March 28, 2008 at 11:13 PM
scribbletone, this is BAs assessment in 2007:
Strengths: Nippert has top-of-the-rotation stuff, with a power fastball and power curveball. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and his curveball is a devastating pitch when he commands it. His changeup also has made progress, though it's a clear notch behind his other two pitches.
Weaknesses: The Diamondbacks are preaching patience with Nippert, mindful that a 6-foot-7 pitcher who missed a year will need extra development time. They're trying to establish more rhythm in his delivery so he can more consistently repeat his mechanics. He often fights where his hands are in his delivery. He's also still learning about the art of pitching and that every fastball doesn't have to be 95 mph.
The strange part? That the Diamondbacks others to preach patience...but yet dumped him just one year later! Daniels has done a nice job of bringing some quality prospects/young players to the Rangers organization. It's basically a no-lose proposition, especially when all you're giving up is a 24 year old A ball reliever. The Rangers may interesting in a few years.
Posted by: crunchy1 | March 28, 2008 at 11:17 PM
Honestly, even though a lot people don't like Daniels, I personally really like what he's doing there in Texas. Just look at the stable of young guys he's packing up and I could see every team in the AL West being pretty good in 2-3 years.
And thanks for the report crunchy. I think that it'll be interesting to see if Nippert can get 15 starts with Texas, because apparently that curve is pretty damn good when he controls it.
Posted by: scribbletone | March 28, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Actually, I don't like Daniels myself after that Marlon Byrd debacle. But I can appreciate what he's done down there. After all, the guy isn't there to win a popularity contest, he's there to build a winning team. And I can certainly respect that.
Posted by: crunchy1 | March 29, 2008 at 12:08 AM
Played with and against Nippert in high school in Ohio. I played DI baseball and he struck me out twice when I was a senior and he was a freshman. FYI, I struck him out, too. I know he has great stuff. Because I keep up with dudes that I've played w/ and against, I know he's struggled with his command--mostly with his offspeed stuff. Good risk for the Rangers b/c they need the pitching and I wish the old Blue Devil the best.
Posted by: cr_hartley01 | March 29, 2008 at 01:46 AM
I kind of get a kick out of it that everyone here either played baseball with or played for schools that played against a lot of guys coming up in the ranks. I mean i played ball in college, but i don't think I will ever see anyone I played against or anyone on my team play or have a chance at major league baseball. With the exception of Chris Shannahan, he was an outstanding catcher, and a good hitter, but I dont know how many DIII guys make it the majors.
Posted by: AirmanSD | March 29, 2008 at 02:13 AM