After missing two years due to elbow injuries, righty Ben Sheets made a triumphant comeback start today as a member of the Braves, tossing six scoreless innings against the Mets for the win. Should Sheets manage a dozen decent starts for the Braves, the minor league signing will stand as a shrewd under-the-radar move by GM Frank Wren. Today's shrewd, under-the-radar links:
- "I feel like myself. That's one thing I can say I never felt like in Oakland," Sheets told reporters today including Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sheets signed a one-year, $10MM contract with the A's prior to the 2010 season despite missing all of '09.
- "It's just as necessary for the Yankees to have young players with a few years of control as it is for the Twins or the A's," GM Billy Beane explained to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times yesterday. The A's GM has been trading away players further from free agency lately, but this year Beane's club is surprisingly in the mix for a wild card spot.
- Scouts from the Yankees, Blue Jays, Braves, Mets, Reds, Padres and Nationals have attended recent Francisco Liriano starts, report Phil Mackey and Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com, though some of those clubs may have had other interests. Slugger Josh Willingham would require a lopsided offer and seems likely to stay put, as we've heard before. Willingham is signed through 2014 and is interested in staying with the Twins beyond his current contract.
- Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer had Mike Trout second on his board for the 2009 draft, after only Stephen Strasburg, writes John Harper of the New York Daily News. The Angels had two consecutive picks at 24 and 25, with the Yankees at 29, and Oppenheimer thought he might get Trout once the Halos took another high school outfielder in Randal Grichuk at 24. Of course, Angels scouting director Eddie Bane took Trout at 25. Trout told Harper he's motivated by all the teams that passed on him.
- The Diamondbacks signed Dominican shortstop Sergio Alcantara, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler. BA says Alcantara draws praise for his defense, and the D'Backs had been favored to sign him. BA ranked Alcantara 18th overall in the July 2nd class.
Span and Liriano for Corcino and Stephenson/Cingrani.
No thanks, on Cingrani. How about Willie Harris and Brett Tomko?
Why would the Twins want either of those guys? They’re in their mid-to-late 30’s. I think i’d rather have JC Sulbaran.
With the way the Reds staff has been pitching why would they want Liriano? Right now he’d likely be the Reds number 6 starter. I wouldn’t pay ace prices for a arm that has been more of a back end starter for his career. Span would be somewhat interesting but I wouldn’t give up one of the Reds top 5 prospects for him either.
sheets looked great today. free and easy 90+ mph fastball. hopefully he holds together and keeps it up — 6IP 0R looked a lot better than the usual 4-5IP 4-6R from minor and delgado.
I don’t know where you’re getting your info, but Delgado has given up 3 ER or fewer in 9 of his last 12 starts and averaged almost 5.2 innings per start during that time. That’s pretty impressive for a 22-year-old at the major league level.
Now, you may say he’s 2-7 during that time. In his 7 losses, the Braves scored a combined 15 runs, including being shut out three times. It’s not the kid’s fault his record ain’t pretty.
it was really more directed at minor than delgado. my only true beef with delgado is his inability to go deep into games. if you’re only going 5-6 per start, you need to be throwing up zeros rather than threes.
i know he’s a kid, and i know he’s learning to pitch at the major league level, but at some point the braves have gotta decide whether they’re a playoff contender or pretender.
Braves were scouting Liriano, who in my mind, is a more expensive version of Minor. Unhittable one inning, pitching batting practice the next.
Sheets wasn’t what I’d call a below the radar signing. He threw for at least four clubs that day according to news reports and turned down other offers for the Braves. Below the radar to me is something no one else was in on or considering. It was a good choice to make sure he became a Brave, one of less than a handful he’s made in his tenure, but a good signing if Sheets holds up and there’s no real reason he wouldn’t.
Vogelsong would fit your criteria then?
I’m not familiar with the way the Giants signed him. The way the Braves signed Beachy a few years back qualifies. Local Braves guy said they should come scout him in an independent league, scout said sign him and they did. I was researching a piece on drafts and ask BB ref why there was no info on Beachy and they said “some of these signings are so obscure we can’t find anything.” That’s below the radar from my point of view. In a way the Uggla trade was below the radar. The fish offered him for Prado Wren said how about Infante and they said fine, all done without anyone knowing it was in the works until it was agreed.
Not than anyone cares what I think it means of course.
I still can’t believe the O’s wasted the number 5 pick in the 2009 draft on Matt Hobgood 🙁 when they could have had Trout or Wheeler
Hobgood has been no good 😉
If we had drafted Zach Wheeler as expected , we would have more minor league depth to facilitate trades . Or shall we say Wheelering and dealing 😉
Trout would have been a 5 All Star for us . Guess this Trout was one who got a way ?
Glad to see the O’s doing good but decades of cheap short sighted moves are still hurting us .
Don’t feel too bad–every team not located in our nation’s capitol would gladly trade their first round pick in 2009 for Mike Trout.
The irony of the situation is that the Angels got the pick for Trout from the Yankees for Mark.
That the Braves gave to you…
Oh, but we have the last laugh…Stephen Marek and Casey Kotchman! Oh ye…what?! Marek isn’t pitching anymore…and Casey Kotchman is in Cleveland…!?…you’re kidding…
I keep forgetting Anaheim has Eddie “The Wolfman” bane as their scouting director.. Just remember him being so highly touted for years by the Twins and never being able to make it, despite having one of the coolest nicknames ever..
Just looked at his baseball reference page and they don’t even have it shown.. Shame on them..
When Eddie Bane pitched for Twins (parts of three seasons, 73, 75, 76) no one called him “Wolfman”! Not his teammates or coaches, not the fans, and not the sportswwriters. He was just Eddie. Back then, the one and only “Wolfman” was still Wolfman Jack. Since his only MLB experience was with the Twins, if he was ever called “Wolfman” it was after his career as a player was over.
Thanks for that. I also remember Bane, and was thinking for years they called him “wolfman” during his career, but maybe it was later on..
Yes.. Remember the deep voiced Wolfman jack also, as well as how he came to leave this place.. A sad story, as was a big fan of his as well..
Cheers for the info and clearing up Eddie Bane nickname mixup 🙂
I am impressed that Ben Sheets made it back at all. Good for him, no matter how long it lasts. It’s hard enough to pitch in pro ball, harder to pitch injured, and harder still to pitch through (several) rehabs.
Its laughable that the Twins aren’t trading Willingham. What a stupid franchise. You’re team is awful and you don’t wanna try and get good pitching prospects to put in that terrible farm system? You deserve to be at the bottom of the division.
Willingham is all that’s standing between the current Twins and the ’62 Mets. So, why trade him for a few B-/C+ prospects. They have the worst pitching in the American league and will never compete until that is rectified. Oh, and $23 million a year for Mauer to hit 9 HR’s and walk a lot? Not a good decision. They could learn a few things from Billy Beane about contending in a small market on 1/2 the payroll the Twins currently enjoy. $40 million for the Mauer/Morneau is foolhardy.
They would be a lot better then B-/C+ prospects. Willingham is under control for 2 more seasons after this year and at a very cheap rate. He would bring back a pretty good package.
The Twins have made the PS more than Beane’s A’s and have more winning seasons.
Like most teams, he Twins have plenty of “B-/C+ prospects – they don’t need more of them in exchange for Willingham. What they don’t have are “A” level starting pitching prospects at the either AAA or AA and maybe not in High A either. The Twins are willing to deal Williingham – but there has to be at one elite level MLB or MLB ready starting pitcher coming back.
Everyone knows that Mauer was never going to be worth that contract but the a couple of years ago, he was the most popular athlete in Minnesota and a home town hero. Letting him walk just when the Twins were opening the long awaited, new Target Field would have been a box office and public relations disaster. Ownership had to bite the bullet and sometimes that is what happens.
Besides, Mauer is not reason the Twins are struggling this season; he is hitting .325 and is playing almost every day. The Twins bad luck with Gibson and Wimmer (both recent #1 drafts picks, highly regarded starting pitchers) not being in the big leagues and some poor scouting evaluations of other potential starters is killing them right now.
No chance Trout would’ve gotten past Boston at 28, who took Reymond Fuentes. . .
“I feel like myself. That’s one thing I can say I never felt like in Oakland.”
Then why’d you take our $10 mil.???