AL East Clubs Face Varied Challenges In 2011 Draft
When you hear talk of disparity in baseball, people often point to the AL East, home to two of the biggest spenders in MLB and one of its poorest teams. But as the Rays have shown, small market clubs can offset uneven payrolls by drafting and developing players successfully.
After an offseason in which Tampa Bay saw one ranked free agent after another sign elsewhere, including Boston and New York, the Rays face what could be the most critical amateur draft in their franchise's history. This June, the Rays have an unprecedented number of early picks – they select 12 players in the first two rounds (90 picks). The challenge for executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and scouting director R.J. Harrison will be selecting future major leaguers with those picks.
Though the Red Sox and Blue Jays aren't close to matching the Rays' record total, they have considerably more picks than average. The Blue Jays have seven picks before the third round and the Red Sox have five, so they face a similar challenge to the one the Rays do: convert their extra picks into potential major leaguers.
Tampa and Boston are two of the six teams (along with the D'Backs, Nationals, Padres and Brewers) that have multiple first round picks, which means seven of the draft's first 33 selections will head to what's arguably baseball's best division.
The Yankees, on the other hand, are one of four clubs that don't select before the supplementary first round (along with the White Sox, Phillies and, last but not least, the Tigers, who don't select until 75 players are off the board). The Orioles select fourth overall, but, like the Yankees, only have two picks in the first two rounds.
That's not to say that the O's and Yankees can't acquire young talent, however. They can, in theory, spend more money on fewer players in an attempt to lure a select number of top amateurs to their organization. Or they can sign players on the international market and build their farm systems with an aggressive approach abroad (the Yankees recently committed supplemental round money to Dominican righty Juan Carlos Paniagua).
The Rays, Blue Jays and Red Sox will select 24 of the first 90 players in this year's draft (27%). That doesn't mean they'll have productive drafts or that the Yankees and Orioles won't. But for at least a couple of days this June, the Yankees will watch and the Rays will be the ones with the power to acquire top players.
Nationals Release Cla Meredith
The Nationals announced that they have released Cla Meredith. The Nationals signed the 27-year-old right-hander to a minor league deal in February and he underwent Tommy John surgery last week.
Meredith posted a 5.40 ERA with 4.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 21 relief apppearances for Baltimore last year. He was a key member of the Padres' bullpen from 2006-09, when he posted a 3.26 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 237 1/3 total innings.
Meredith, a sixth round selection of Boston's in the 2004 draft, reached the majors the following season when he made a three-appearance cameo with the Red Sox. He has appeared in the big leagues every season since his 2005 debut, averaging 57 outings per year and a 3.43 ERA in that time.
Phillies Release Robb Quinlan
The Phillies granted Robb Quinlan his release after he asked for it, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (on Twitter). They signed Quinlan to a minor league deal in December.
The eight-year veteran has spent his entire MLB career with the Angels as a backup at the corner infield and outfield positions. He has a .276/.322/.401 career line, but fell off to .121/.171/.182 last year and the Angels released him.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rollins, Jackson, Latos, Rays
The first game in Petco Park history was played seven years ago today. Led by head coach Tony Gwynn, the San Diego State Aztecs defeated the University of Hawaii by a score of 4-0. The teams shattered the attendance record for a college baseball game, drawing 40,106 fans. The previous record was just short of 28,000 fans.
I don't think we're going to break any records with these links, but let's give it a shot…
- Through The Fence Baseball interviewed umpire Mike Di Muro.
- Crashburn Alley thinks about a contract extension for Jimmy Rollins.
- The Todd Van Poppel Rookie Card Retirement Plan explains why March 15th is an important date for Conor Jackson.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness wishes former Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng good luck with her new job.
- The Friarhood thinks that the Padres' desperation could hurt Mat Latos' future.
- DRays Bay lists Andrew Friedman's worst moves.
- We Should Be GMs provides some disheartening facts about the Phillies offense.
- Blue Jays Rant wonders if Jose Bautista could be traded this season.
- Cubs Billy Goat Blog explored the battle for a Cubs rotation spot.
- The Yankee Analysts looked at A.J. Burnett's pitches on a month-by-month basis.
- The Shea Faithful calls Jonathon Niese a breakout candidate.
- D'Backs Central isn't very concerned about Joe Saunders' poor spring.
- The Mennella Line discussed Carlos Beltran's gait.
- Randall on Baseball lists some AL West rookies who could contribute in 2011.
- Fantasy Baseball Recon forecasts the 2011 home run champion.
- Congrats, You Found My Blog! introduces us to Salary+, a way of comparing a player's salary to the league average.
- Beyond The Box Score tallies up the number of Major League deals each writer broke this offseason.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Chuck Greenberg Out As Rangers CEO
11:03am: The Rangers have officially announced that Greenberg will no longer be a part of the organization, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Nolan Ryan will take over as team CEO.
7:50am: Rangers managing general partner and CEO Chuck Greenberg will no longer be part of Texas' managing team, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). Greenberg upset a number of people as managing partner, but his undoing came when he bothered team president Nolan Ryan, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, who confirms the news (on Twitter).
Greenberg's group took over the Rangers in August. He launched an aggressive pursuit of Cliff Lee this winter and later claimed that he out-foxed the Yankees in pursuit of the left-hander, who signed in Philadelphia.
Astros Wanted Drew Butera
Twins catcher Drew Butera was the Astros' first choice to replace the injured Jason Castro, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). However, the Twins won't trade Butera, according to Gammons.
Butera appeared in 49 games as a rookie last year. The 27-year-old caught 16 of 37 would-be base stealers (43%) but hit just .197/.237/.296 in 155 Major League plate apperances. In the five minor league seasons since the Mets selected him in the fifth round of the 2005 draft, Butera has a .214/.296/.317 line.
The Astros are on the lookout for catching help and though they were initially interested in Nationals backstop Jesus Flores, they have tempered their pursuit of him. Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested earlier today that Francisco Cervelli could become a trade chip midseason, depending on how the Yankees' catching situation develops.
Royals Notes: Escobar, Cabrera, Ka’aihue
Royals GM Dayton Moore tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Alcides Escobar is different from some other players he has acquired in trades. Here are the details on Escobar and others in the Kansas City organization…
- "Very rarely do you feel as good or better about a move after you get the player," Moore told Olney. But the Royals are happy with Escobar so far because he has been throwing well and making consistent contact at the plate. The Royals believe the shortstop has the potential to become a No. 2 hitter.
- Melky Cabrera arrived to camp in good shape, but he isn’t guaranteed playing time. He, Jeff Francoeur, Kila Ka'aihue and Alex Gordon will all be competing for at bats.
- As Olney reported yesterday, teams are expressing interest in Gordon, but Kansas City isn’t inclined to deal the former second overall pick because they think he could still flourish.
- Though rival executives are in awe of Kansas City’s developing talent, the Royals want to see Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and others thrive in the big leagues before they get too excited.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan points out that Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projection likes Ka'aihue and projects a 25 homer, .860 OPS output from him in 2011. Ka'aihue says he doesn't really buy into the projections, but says he thinks the forecasted stats are plausible.
David Wright Would Not Ask For Trade
The Mets are in deep financial trouble and their chances of competing in 2011 seem remote, but David Wright says he isn’t interested in asking for a trade. The third baseman is under team control through 2013 (the Mets have a $16MM option for that year) and he told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that he doesn't intend on demanding a trade before then.
"I can't imagine ever asking out," Wright said. "It would feel like I was jumping ship. I want to be part of the solution.”
Wright grew up a Mets fan and has been a member of the organization since 2001, when the team selected him in the first round of the draft. The Mets made it to the 2006 NLCS after winning 97 games, but they haven't played in the postseason since and the team has posted a losing record in each of the past two seasons.
"You have the good, the bad and the ugly,” Wright told Sherman. “We certainly have had the bad and the ugly. So now I want to be part of the good. I enjoy the challenge. I want to believe that I will endure the bad times for a prize at the end."
Wright, 28, has a .305/.383/.516 line and has made five consecutive All-Star games. He hit .283/.354/.503 with 29 homers last year.
Quick Hits: Maine, Lerner, Foltynewicz
A few stray items of note coming out of the National League as Thursday winds down …
- Rockies right-hander John Maine can opt out of his contract with Colorado if he's not on the 25-man roster on June 1, tweets Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. Maine, who signed a minor league deal with the Rox this offseason, has missed the better part of each of the past two seasons with the Mets due to right arm trouble.
- The Nationals grabbed headlines this offseason by signing Jayson Werth to a hefty $126MM contract, and though it was widely regarded as a questionable baseball decision, owner Ted Lerner has no shortage of cash, writes Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo! Sports. Lerner, as Kaduk explains, ranks No. 376 on Forbes' list of wealthiest people in the world, and is presently the wealthiest majority owner in baseball.
- Astros pitching prospect Mike Foltynewicz is looking to build upon the strong professional debut he made in 2010, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner. Astros assistant GM/director of scouting Bobby Heck said that the right-hander probably has the highest ceiling of any Astros minor leaguer. Interestingly, Foltynewicz told Goff that he probably would have gone to the Red Sox at No. 20 overall in last year's First-Year Player Draft had the Astros not nabbed him at No. 19.
A’s, Yanks Agree To Terms With International FAs
The Athletics and Yankees have each agreed to terms with an international free agent, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
- The Athletics have agreed to terms with South Korean catching prospect Seong-Min Kim on a deal worth $510K, writes Badler. One scout told Baseball America that Kim, 17, has plus raw power as a right-handed hitter. Oakland was among the top five spenders in the international free-agent market last offseason with a budget of roughly $5MM, according to Badler. Jin-Young Kim of the Cubs was the only player from South Korea to sign with an MLB team in 2010.
- The Yankees have agreed to terms with Dominican right-handed pitcher Juan Carlos Paniagua, 20, for $1.1MM, according to Badler. Paniagua, who had previously been suspended by Major League Baseball for one year for age and identity fraud, is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Badler writes. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch 98 mph, while scouts are mixed on his secondary pitches. The signing of a previously suspended player for fraud is not unprecedented in MLB nor for the Yankees, for the matter, as Badler notes. Carlos Martinez of the Cardinals and Jose Rafael DePaula of the Bombers are two such examples.