Notes from the NL Central as Opening Day draws closer…
- Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com hears from Cubs sources that the team isn't talking to the Rangers about Michael Young. The Cubs maintain that they’re comfortable with Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt at second base.
- Kyle McClellan solidified his bid to become the Cardinals' fifth starter today. As MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports, the converted setup man pitched five shutout innings against the Braves, which presumably lessens the chances that the Cards look outside of the organization for starting pitching. I took a look at McClellan's role in St. Louis last week.
- Brett Wallace collected four hits and drove in seven today, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. The Astros acquired the first baseman from the Blue Jays last summer after obtaining Anthony Gose from the Phillies in the Roy Oswalt deal. Wallace is vying to become Houston's everyday first baseman.
- As MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports, the Brewers optioned pitching prospect Mark Rogers to Triple-A today because they weren't confident his shoulder stiffness would go away in time for the season. Once he's at full strength, Rogers remains a candidate to fill in for Zack Greinke, who is expected to miss a few starts with a fractured rib.
McClellan will be our new Waino.
That would be nice. But if he could just be a solid #4, our rotation still rounds out pretty solid. The offense has the potential to be pretty good. It’s going to be a battle in the central this year, and I actually like it that alot of people are writing us off so early.
Just being technical, but all he has to do is be a solid #5… It’s Lohse being a #4 that I’m most worried about.
As good as Wallace is, I think the Blue Jays still got the better end of the deal. First base prospects never seem hard to come by, there will always be someone who can hit but can’t play defense anywhere else
Really? You beat me to say that by 4 minutes…. fml
Probably too soon to really tell, but at least in terms of potential, the Jays came out way ahead. Gose has had lightning feet this spring.
his leadoffs suck though, he gets picked off way too easy with even a decent move.
He may be fast, but someone needs to teach him how to steal
They’re really apples and oranges. About all they have in common is that neither walks much and both strike out a fair bit.
At this stage of the game, Wallace, while definitely no megaprospect, is miles ahead of Gose in terms of development, simply from the standpoint that Wallace has hit with authority in the minors. This will be a key year in the development of both. Wallace needs to show that he can hit major league pitching. Gose needs to show that he can hit to semi-hit minor league pitching and steal bases at a high success rate.
In short, it should be a lot clearer as to who got the better end of the deal at this time next year.
Call me a cynic, but I think it says something about a prospect when he’s traded 3 times before hitting the bigs.
the only thing look who he was traded for, some of the biggest names in trades the last couple of years. Obviously a lot of teams thought very very highly of him to want him in those trades. But i think since they traded Berkman with no 1st base prospects they really needed on anyways. Besides they have a fast outfielder already with 4 or 5 in the minors, So yea win win situation I think.
Some of the biggest names? He was traded for Holliday and then twice traded for another prospect.
All I’m saying is I think maybe there’s some teams that are quietly doubting his future and trying to cash in on him as fast as possible.
To me it seems like diminishing returns. The quality of prospects go down everytime Wallace is traded. Though Gose will be one heck of a pinch runner when he gets to the show.
lee was traded twice in the same season…and he was traded a total of what four times in his career, expos to indians, indians to phillies, phillies to mariners, mariners to rangers…
I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make. I was talking about a prospect getting bounced around from team to team. You’re talking about an established starter.
but, butbutbut SEVEN RBI’s!!!!!!!
Who knows which of them is going to be the best. It’s a crapshoot actually. My A’s gave up Carlos Gonzalez to get Matt Holiday, then turned Holiday over for Wallace, then turned Wallace over for Michael Taylor. I wish he we still had Car Go, but he might of never panned out playing in Oakland. Who knows?
I think both teams addressed needs with the wallace/gose trade, seems pretty good for both so far.
Wallace should be the starting First baseman NOW. Buuuuut there probably going to go with Carlos Lee most of the time (Dumb) its not like there guna compete this year let him develop
they technically are, he will start the season in AA or AAA and let Lee play 1st for a half a season thus improving his trade value. They trade him by the dead line to a team that needs a power first basemen(texas?) and thing let Wallace play the rest of the season in the bigs.
The combination of Wallace hitting (borderline raking at this point) and the Astros not having a viable everyday left field option other than Lee all but guarantees that Wallace is the opening day first baseman and that Lee is the opening day LF. Lee will only play 1st if Wallace struggles in the regular season, needs a day off, or gets hurt. It’s far more likely that the Astros will use Lee similar to how the Giants used Pat Burrell in the postseason. Lee will start in LF, and in those rare occasions when the Astros are on the road and have a lead in the 6th or later, Lee will get pulled quickly in favor of an outfielder that can cover three times more ground than Lee does (Bogusevic or Bourgeois). It’s less necessary to give Lee the quick hook in Houston seeing that the left field wall is about 20 yards behind the infield dirt.
Flash. No teams are talking to the Rangers about Young.
man I wouldn’t mind the cubs getting young he puts up pretty nice numbers.
Except for the fact that he can’t field and puts up awful numbers away from Arlington.
The word comfortable and Jeff Baker don’t mix very well….i’d like to keep dewitt because he’s a lefty, but i’ll take my chances with young’s horrible numbers away, than baker letting balls pass him right by because he’s lost his vision.