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Archives for June 2014

Quick Hits: Lane, Francoeur, Rays, Astros

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Jason Lane is a former outfielder who’s now a pitcher, and Jeff Francoeur is an outfielder who occasionally pitches. Both of them are with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso, trying to get back to the Majors, Tyler Kepner of the New York Times reports. Lane, the former Astros outfielder, converted to pitching two years ago and is still working on it as a 37-year-old, posting a 4.36 ERA with 3.9 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 64 innings so far this season. He also pinch-hits. Francoeur, who played for the Royals and Giants last season, is hitting .278/.309/.450 for the Chihuahuas and occasionally taking his turn as a reliever, appearing in six games on the mound so far this season. Kepner notes that Francoeur is “pitching for fun,” so presumably he won’t be looking for a similar role in the Majors. Also, he still has hope as an offensive player. “If I keep hitting like this, I’ve got a chance to go to the Futures Game!” he says. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • At 23-34, the Rays’ season hasn’t gone as planned, but owner Stuart Sternberg isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet, Bill Chastain of MLB.com writes. Sternberg certainly isn’t ready to commit to selling at the trade deadline — not that there’s much urgency on that front at this point. “[I]f you think you’re in striking distance, and more importantly, if you have confidence in the guys here that they’ve got a good stretch of baseball in them, in a week or two, you look back and you could be in a different position,” he says.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is pleased with the results of a recent trip to Japan with pro scouting coordinator Kevin Goldstein, writes MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. Luhnow and Goldstein met with Japanese teams and interviewed candidates for a scouting position in Japan. “[W]e really felt like this is an important first step for us in re-engaging our activity in Japan and hopefully, eventually signing some good Japanese players,” says Luhnow, who says one motivation for the trip was that the Yankees had a scout watching all of Masahiro Tanaka’s starts in Tanaka’s last two years in Japan.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

  • Zach Links continued the Draft Prospect Q&A series by profiling Louisville right-hander Nick Burdi. “I think what I can bring is just being a reliable relief pitcher,” Burdi told Zach. “I’m already comfortable in that role and I’m ready to be the seventh or eighth inning guy, know my place, and help a team out.” Burdi added he has modeled himself after closers Trevor Rosenthal, Aroldis Chapman, and Craig Kimbrel and “always watched the taller closers and followed what they did.“
  • Jeff Todd asked MLBTR readers who will sign Kendrys Morales. Nearly 41% of you believe Morales will ink a deal to wear pinstripes.
  • Charlie Wilmoth asked MLBTR readers who the Astros will take with the first overall selection when the draft begins Thursday. One-third of you predict Houston will call the name of North Carolina State left-hander Carlos Rodon.
  • Tim Dierkes was the first to report left-hander Mike Zagurski signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays.
  • Jeff confirmed the trade sending utilityman Jason Donald to the Rangers from the Royals.
  • Steve Adams hosted this week’s chat.
  • Zach compiled the latest edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.

Poll: Best Short-Term Free Agent Signings

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A number of players have made big contributions so far this season despite only signing a one-year deal or a minor-league deal this past offseason. Here’s a list of every player who fits that description and who’s produced more than 1 fWAR heading into today’s action. That cutoff excludes a few players clearly having productive seasons (such as Ervin Santana, Joba Chamberlain, Francisco Rodriguez and Emilio Bonifacio), and it excludes the possibility that the newly-signed Stephen Drew will make a big impact in Boston. But it’s as good a cutoff point as any, restricting us to players currently on pace to post seasons of around 3 WAR. Here they are, in alphabetical order.

In April, MLBTR’s Jeff Todd asked you to rank one-year deals in the $4MM-$8MM range. We now have more data on players signed to those deals, plus more information about no-risk minor-league signees we might have overlooked in April, so now is a good time to revisit last year’s free-agent class to see which low-risk deals are netting the most value.

Nelson Cruz, Orioles, $8MM plus roster bonuses. The Orioles also gave up the No. 55 overall pick in next week’s draft. Cruz has hit .315/.383/.675 in 230 plate appearances so far this season. He left today’s game with a hand injury, but he’s hit brilliantly for Baltimore so far, piling up an incredible 20 home runs.

Juan Francisco, Blue Jays, minor-league contract. The Jays signed Francisco after the Brewers dropped him in late March, and he’s hit a remarkable .275/.365/.596, with nine home runs in his first 126 plate appearances.

Jason Hammel, Cubs, $6MM. Hammel has pitched 71 1/3 terrific innings so far thanks to excellent control — he’s only allowing 1.9 BB/9. Hammel’s 2.78 ERA likely isn’t sustainable, but it doesn’t need to be for him to provide the Cubs with great value for $6MM.

Aaron Harang, Braves, minor-league deal, $1MM. Harang’s resurgence with Atlanta has been nothing short of amazing — last year it looked like his days as a productive big-leaguer might be over, but this year he has a 3.29 ERA with peripherals to match (9.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9). The Braves also got two more solid pitchers in Santana and Gavin Floyd on one-year deals last offseason.

Michael Morse, Giants, $6MM. Morse’s poor defense limits his value, but it’s almost impossible not to be an asset when one hits .295/.351/.574. Morse is a big reason the Giants currently have the best record in baseball. His slugging percentage so far is 92 points above his career total.

A.J. Pierzynski, Red Sox, $8.25MM. Pierzynski has produced 1.1 WAR this season while hitting .288/.318/.417 in 174 plate appearances, accumulating much of that value in a recent 10-game hitting streak. He has not, however, won good reviews for his handling of the Red Sox’ pitching staff.

Yangervis Solarte, Yankees, minor-league contract. Solarte has been a highlight of an unsettled Yankees infield, playing decent defense at both third and second while hitting .299/.369/.466. That’s not bad for a 26-year-old who had never played in the big leagues before this season. The Yankees also can control his rights for several more years beyond this one if they choose.

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Draft Notes: Finnegan, Indians, Red Sox

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With the recent rash of Tommy John surgeries in baseball, general managers are scared of taking pitchers at the top of the draft and giving them lucrative contracts, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “There’s more awareness right now with the health of pitchers than I’ve ever seen,” one NL exec said. “It brings so much apprehension and anxiety right now.  I don’t think we’ve ever been so sensitive to what’s going on because of all of the pitching injuries.  Anyone with health issues, they’re going to fall.  You going to spend $6MM to $7MM on a pitcher who’s headed for Tommy John surgery?”  This is why some baseball executives believe collegiate pitchers Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) and Erick Fedde (UNLV) could fall out of the top ten.

Here are more draft notes from around MLB:

  • This year’s draft has been said to be deep in arms, both at the collegiate and high school levels. As teams debate whether to take more polished products or roll the dice on prep upside, an interesting study from J.J. Cooper of Baseball America is worth considering. Cooper finds pitchers who attended college were significantly more likely to undergo Tommy John surgery than were those who went straight from high school to the professional ranks. Those findings could have implications both for how teams sort their draft boards and for the decision-making process of drafted players.
  • TCU left-hander Brandon Finnegan could become a top-ten pick because of his increased velocity, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman.
  • The Indians, armed with the 21st, 31st, and 38th overall choices and a $8.23MM overall pool (eighth-highest in the league) are hoping to take advantage of the deep slate of prospects, report MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and Alec Shirkey. “You have more money than 22 other clubs,” explained Brad Grant, the club’s director of amateur scouting. “So I have a lot more agent calls this year than I had in the past because we have the flexibility to do a lot of different things.“
  • The Red Sox don’t own a top-ten pick in this year’s draft, but they’ve been able to land high-end talent before by taking chances on guys with injuries, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Boston snagged Jackie Bradley, Jr. with the 40th overall pick in 2011, an ultra-talented outfielder who had a subpar junior season that included a wrist injury. The Red Sox will pick 26th and 33rd on Thursday.
  • Because baseball players take so much longer to develop than their counterparts in other sports, the MLB draft is a particularly difficult feat.  However, that doesn’t stop teams from kicking themselves after making franchise-altering mistakes, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  MacPherson runs down some of the most regrettable choices in modern draft history, from the Padres taking Matt Bush in 2004 over Justin Verlander to 24 teams passing on Mike Trout before he fell to the Angels in 2009.

Jeff Todd and Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Marlins Likely Not Done Making Moves

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The Marlins acquired reliever Bryan Morris from the Pirates for the No. 39 overall draft pick on Sunday, and they aren’t through wheeling and dealing, with MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reporting that at least one more is likely this week. It’s unclear whether that means another trade or some other type of transaction, but Frisaro writes that a move could happen “within the next few days.” He notes that the Marlins’ “proactive” approach is unusual, since teams do not typically make many trades this early in the season.

The Marlins wanted to add bullpen help, particularly after losing Carter Capps to injury, and Frisaro writes that Morris, a hard-throwing righty with big-league experience fit the bill. The Marlins also still possess three of the top 43 picks in the draft, including the No. 2 overall pick.

White Sox Notes: Draft, Signability

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The White Sox head into next week’s draft with the No. 3 overall pick and a bonus pool of around $9.5MM. Here’s a look at what they might do, along with a glance ahead at the trade deadline, which the White Sox could conceivably approach as a surprisingly competitive team.

  • Scouting director Doug Laumann says the White Sox will probably take a pitcher with the third overall pick, tweets Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune.
  • MLB.com’s Scott Merkin goes a bit further, saying that the White Sox’ choice at No. 3 will come down to California high schooler Brady Aiken, NC State lefty Carlos Rodon, Texas high schooler Tyler Kolek or LSU righty Aaron Nola. (Those four are widely considered the top four pitchers in the draft.) It’s very likely that at least one and perhaps two of those players will be gone by the time the White Sox pick, so the White Sox’ selection will likely depend on who’s still available.
  • The White Sox will take signability into account with their first-round pick, but they don’t expect it to be a decisive factor, Merkin writes. “Is it a consideration? Sure. We wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t explore signability both above our number as well as below our number,” says GM Rick Hahn. “But ultimately, I think it will come down to taking the player that we feel fits the best.”
  • At 29-29, the White Sox have played surprisingly well so far. But they don’t plan on making moves that would hamper their goals of winning in the long term, Merkin writes. “[O]pportunities to win are sacred. If we are in a position where we feel we have a real chance to win, we will address whatever needs we feel exist at that time,” says Hahn. “At the same time, we are not going to do anything that’s going to compromise our longer term goals … of putting us in a position where we can win on an annual basis.” Hahn emphasizes that the White Sox will not jeopardize their future for one playoff run.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Korecky, Simunic, Reineke, Overbeck

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Here are Sunday’s minor moves from around MLB:

  • Pitcher Bobby Korecky has cleared optional waivers and remains on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster, Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star tweets. The Blue Jays designated Korecky for assignment on Friday. He is headed to Triple-A Buffalo. Korecky appeared in just one game for Toronto this year and has spent most of the year with Buffalo, posting an 0.29 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 31 innings there.
  • Outfielder Andy Simunic has been released from the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate, per the Pacific Coast League’s transaction page. The 28-year-old, Houston’s 17th-round selection in 2008, batted .263/.333/.347 in 106 plate appearances (30 games) for Oklahoma City. Simunic, who tore the ligament in his right elbow pitching in a blowout loss last year (his recovery was chronicled recently by Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle), slashed .276/.358/.340 during his seven-year minor league career, all spent in the Astros’ organization. 
  • Right-hander Chad Reineke has been released from the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, per the International League transactions page. The 32-year-old made 11 appearances (four starts) for Louisville compiling a 9.20 ERA, 5.6 K/9, and 4.2 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings of work. Reineke last pitched in a MLB game in 2011 for Cincinnati.
  • The Padres have announced they have signed first baseman Cody Overbeck to a minor league deal. Overbeck, a 2009 ninth-round selection of the Phillies, was playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League where he posted a slash of .276/.326/.528 in 132 plate appearances through 32 games. 
  • Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, there are four players in DFA limbo: Vin Mazzaro (Pirates), Blake Wood (Indians), Jeremy Horst (Phillies) and Wade LeBlanc (Angels).

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Pirates Claim Wirfin Obispo

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The Pirates have announced that they’ve claimed reliever Wirfin Obispo off waivers from the Braves and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. The Braves designated Obispo for assignment yesterday. The Pirates’ claim comes hours after their trade of fellow reliever Bryan Morris to the Marlins, so Obispo should help them replenish their relief depth.

Obispo, 29, had pitched 19 1/3 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett this season, posting a 4.66 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9. The Braves added the hard-throwing righty to their 40-man roster following a 2013 season in which he posted a 3.53 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 63 2/3 Triple-A innings. Obispo has never pitched in the Majors, but he pitched in parts of four seasons in Japan from 2007 through 2011.

East Notes: Red Sox, Marlins, De La Rosa, Ayala

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The injury bug has struck the Red Sox again. Mike Carp, who replaced the injured Mike Napoli at first base, under went a CT scan today and it revealed a broken foot, tweets Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. The injury will set off a series of roster moves with Stephen Drew ready to join the club in Cleveland tomorrow. MacPherson tweets the Red Sox will place Carp on the disabled list and and recall Daniel Nava. Garin Cecchini, who made his MLB debut today when Dustin Pedroia was ejected and went 1-for-2 with a RBI double, told reporters (including Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com) he will have dinner with his parents and then report to Triple-A Pawtucket. Prior to the announcement of Carp’s injury, the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber outlined how the Red Sox could juggle playing time with the addition of Drew.

Elsewhere in baseball’s East divisions:

  • The Marlins acquired right-handed reliever Bryan Morris from the Pirates earlier in the day and the team is already being criticized for the move. Fangraph’s Dave Cameron opines Morris is a below replacement level pitcher and giving up the 39th pick in the draft for him (an asset worth several million dollars) is “beyond crazy” (Twitter links).
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio agrees with Cameron tweeting Morris is not worth past number 39 picks like Lance Lynn (Cardinals), Anthony Ranaudo (Red Sox), and Joey Gallo (Rangers).
  • Marlins President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill defended the trade to reporters, including the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Juan C. Rodriguez. “We had a need,” Hill said. “It was in our bullpen. We were looking for the piece that was the right fit for us in terms of controlling, not just short-term, but long-term, and [Morris] had the stuff to help our club as well.“
  • Hill also said the trade “is the first piece” as he attempts to strengthen the second-place Marlins. “I don’t think we’re finished in trying to improve our club. We’re still trying to make as many improvements as we think we can to help this team.“
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com chronicles the development of Red Sox right-hander Rubby De La Rosa from a prospect who had trouble harnessing his potential to the pitcher who tossed seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts Saturday night.
  • Right-hander Luis Ayala, who opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles yesterday, will pitch in Mexico, tweets MASNsports.com’s Rock Kubatko.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Buehrle, Markakis, Strasburg

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On this date in 1920, pitcher Babe Ruth, acquired from Boston in the offseason, hit cleanup in the Yankees’ lineup and also got the win when he tossed four innings as the starter in the team’s 14-7 victory over Washington at the Polo Grounds. During his 15 years with New York, Ruth took the mound five times for the club.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

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