A few notes from the American League:
- The cost for the Red Sox to purchase right-hander Hector Velazquez from the Mexican League last week was just $30K, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Velazquez’s pact with the Red Sox includes escalators based on consecutive days he spends on Boston’s roster, and one general manager told Drellich it’s the first such deal he has seen. Red Sox front office members Allard Baird, Jared Banner, Marcus Cuellar and Edgar Perez were all involved in the signing, per Drellich. Velazquez is familiar with Cuellar, notes Drellich, which helped the Sox beat out other teams (including the Yankees) for his services.
- Blue Jays first base prospect Rowdy Tellez is “knocking at the door” of the big league roster, manager John Gibbons said Saturday (via Paul Hagen of MLB.com). Continued Gibbons: “You just watch him more and more. There’s something there. Something special there.” Since going in the 30th round of the 2013 draft, Tellez has raked in the minors, including at the Double-A level last season. The 21-year-old slashed .297/.387/.530 with 23 home runs and 63 walks against 92 strikeouts. Now Baseball America’s 95th-ranked prospect, Tellez is likely to start the year with Triple-A Buffalo, relays Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
- Righty Daniel Gossett made a surprise start for the Athletics on Sunday, leading Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle to wonder if he could be in the mix for the last spot in the team’s rotation. Manager Bob Melvin isn’t ruling it out. “He impressed everybody in the organization last year, so in talking about that fifth starter, who knows?” said Melvin. Gossett, 24, checks in at No. 8 on BA’s list of A’s prospects after pitching at all three levels last year. The 2014 second-round pick spent most of his time at Double-A, where he posted a 2.49 ERA, 9.00 K/9 and 2.39 BB/9 in 94 innings.
- Non-roster invitee Ronny Rodriguez has emerged as a serious candidate to earn a role as a utility infielder with the Indians, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Rodriguez, who’s competing against Michael Martinez and Erik Gonzalez (a potential trade chip), has won the favor of manager Terry Francona. “He’s got a lot of sock in his bat,” said the skipper. “He can play other positions. He’s really interesting. I don’t think you hold it against a guy, because he maybe spent more time in the Minor Leagues. Some guys figure it out later in life. He’s got all the tools.”
Another day, another possible utility player being talked up by Chewy Francona.
Martinez, Gonzalez, and now Rodriguez. Who’s next on his list, Stamets or Diaz?
I can’t tell if this is a diss towards Tito. Or praise that he can always find utility players?
He usually finds ones that can’t hit and hold a 25 man spot hostage.
Think that should be he falls in love with a utility player who can’t hit, nor field at any position and clogs up a 25 man spot, even when someone else should be on the roster instead. it’s due to francona’s buddy system, which got worse every year he was in Boston as well.
He kept the useless Billy Hall around as the supposed utility guy for way too long even tho he couldn’t move at all anymore at any position and his HR’s were of that solo variety in blowout games, then strikeouts galore.. Epitome of a useless body on the field.
To be fair, he had one but ramierez became his starting third basemen…
Bill Hall wasn’t even with the Sox for a full season… as I recall he did well the first half as well.
To be fair, AL teams generally can only carry 4 bench players because everyone is in love with 8-man bullpens. The Yankees went through a long stretch of the season a couple years ago with just three bench players. So with just four guys on the bench you have the backup catcher who never gets used, a bench bat/platoon guy and a backup infielder and backup outfielder. In that setup flexibility is paramount.
Of course, that means you end up with michael Martinez taking the most important at-bat in the last 60 years of your team’s history.
Looked to make sure.. They got rid of Kotchman to get him and remember now.. salary dump.. Milwaukee paid all his salary (8m) for Boston to take Hall and Boston already had Youk playing 1b and Lowell (Mike) by that time was hurt so bad thet he was just a backup 1b and P/T DH. Kotchman wasn’t going to get a sniff of playing time, so the Sox took what they could get and guess Hall was it.
B/Reference says he was with the Sox from Jan 2010 until November and he attempted to play 7 positions..
I only remember 1 REAL utility player until brock Holt came along during the John henry era and that was Alex Cora, who may not have had much power, but was good with the small ball game and was capable with the glove.
Every Team’s utility fielder has to take up a 25 man roster spot. Thems the rules.
Hall was incredibly valuable to the Sox entirely because of how Francona deployed him. Find another example of a guy with a league average bat (103 OPS ) who played 7 positions, including pitcher! 18 homers and 46 RBI in barely more than a half season of playing time (344 AB).
Not gonna waste my time with “solo homers in blowouts”. Hall was good that year. Francona was great with a hospital ward of a roster that year. Make up a better reason to complain about a great guy and great manager.
That should have said 103 OPS . And, yeah, he wasn’t a good defender at most of those positions, but nobody who plays every position is. Their value is that they can cover everywhere when you need them because the roster is falling apart. You’d have to clog a 25th, 26th, and 27th spot to try to get good defenders for for everything and good luck trying to find good up the middle defenders for backup roles who can hit at all. Those are called all stars.
Apparently the plus sign doesn’t come through in comments. I’ve typed it twice and it hasn’t shown with OPS either time.
Yes?
…….or yes.
Sounds like the Red Sox have found a way to get around the caps on the International bonus pool.
Or maybe…… Velazquez is 28? Not 15.
This is different…
Hopefully Telez rakes so much at AAA, the Jays are forced to call him up and sit Smoak on the bench.
I don’t want to see Smoak in the organization. I hope they take Telez north and give Smoak a job as a club house attendant or something along those lines.
Outside of Reyes, do the Cards really have the kind of prospects to land Q? Weaver showed his stuff is more league average than anything last season. Kelly is obviously an attractive asset, but not elite, similar to the glove first Perez. Seems like a stretch.
Lol wrong post
I would be shocked if Tellez isn’t an upgrade over Smoak. I think I might be an upgrade over Smoak. Can’t win with a guy if given 500 AB will wiff 175+ times
Smoak is plain awful, and has ZERO UPSIDE.
BJ’s would be fools to not put Tellez at first if he looks simply solid this spring.
Tellez is an obvious upgrade over Smoak, but the rest of your comment is way off base here Hank.
219K Chris Davis made it to a Wild Card play in game.
194K Mike Napoli made it to World Series.
Can definitely win with a guy that will ‘wiff’ 175+ times.
I can remember Smoak was living his upside when he got regular ABs for a limited but telling stretch centered around May2016. Many others slumped that month but not Smoak. Would the Jays have made the playoffs without his May contributions? I have my doubts.
His overall grade is INCOMPLETE. Not possible to call him a Jays fail yet. Smoak can still be an asset. And it would be terribly foolish to DFA without a real trial at regular playing time. He could be the best 1B in the division with regular ABs. Behind CDavis in stats but not by much and cheaper? Not outrageous to suggest. Ahead of Carter/Moreland/Miller or whoever the rest of the division ends up with at 1B? Fairly easy to suggest.
Look at Smoak’s split stats or game logs once, then look around the division, and look at past Championship teams, then you will realize how laughable your opinion seems regarding Smoak.
Especially to DFA for Tellez, when nearly every team ever waits until midseason to call up their top prospects. Don’t start the clock early! Nats have an extra year before Harper goes FA because they waited. It’s frustrating as a fan but a no-brainer as a franchise. Tellez is a perfect backup plan if Smoak blows it. Nothing to complain about here. Textbook way to follow the 1B blueprint that many successful teams have been using in recent history.
Deep down in my heart, I wonder if the Yankees called up Gary Sanchez earlier, they could’ve kept their mega bullpen in tact and maybe won a World Series?? So maybe teams shouldn’t wait if they think the guy has got the stuff??
I’d still find it tough to cut Smoak’s $4m without giving him 6 weeks regular AB to build mild trade value.
DFA feels pointless.
There is definitely upside.
AHem, Smoak, are you kidding me? Has he changed his spots from Seattle where he amassed 1900 ab’s never has more than 50 or so rbi’s in a full season? Sure he hit a few bombs, but it was that or striking out. There is a reason seattle doesn’t have him anymore. He has a career .223 BA. His WAR in seattle never got above 1. lol. You expect him to improve? I think we will see exactly what he has provided in the past over the long-term, a strike out, fly out or bomb. There are some pitching coaches who know how to get this guy out easily, by booking him. high and inside with heat then low and away with soft stuff, whiff, whiff, whiff.
jimmertee –
Justin Smoak has changed at least one spot from Seattle. The most important spot of all. Home ballpark.
Bigger bats have gone to Safeco and flopped.
Remember Beltre/Sexson experiments? Beltre was smart enough to get back to an offensive environment.
Remember how long it took Cano to adjust. HOF type players adjust.
Average bats like Smoak let Safeco get in their head.
Check how he was alright at Safeco originally, and then ended up poor overall.
Also: BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA
Pitching coaches don’t throw the ball. In a given week, every MLB regular will see 4-5 pitches that are not where the pitcher intended them to be. With regular playing time, Justin Smoak can hit 1HR/1-2B per week easily. That’s a decent season if he keeps that minimum going. Especially if you take your head out of the sand and look around at what other players are being used at 1B around the league. Not every team can have a Goldschmidt or a Votto or a Rizzo etc. 10-15 teams are scraping the bottom of the barrel and hoping something sticks.
All around the league, players profile like Smoak and survive, some even thrive. Hall of Fame bats have failed in Safeco and in pinch hitting duty. Smoak, given 15AB per week minimum will be effective. I will gladly come back to eat crow in mid May if I am wrong, but I am confident I won’t be wildly off base here.