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How Boston Landed One Of Its Most Valuable Pitchers

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Andrew Miller was the sixth overall pick of the Tigers in the 2006 draft and continued as an elite prospect for a little while after that, but it took the left-hander several years to truly make his mark as a major leaguer. Miller began as a starter in Detroit, but after struggling over parts of two seasons, the team dealt him and others to the Marlins in December 2007 for Miguel Cabrera in one of the most impactful trades in the two clubs’ histories. Miller didn’t pan out in Miami from 2008-10, though, and he went to Boston after the last of those seasons in exchange for lefty Dustin Richardson.

Richardson never even threw a pitch as a Marlin, whereas the Red Sox are still profiting from the trade to this day. While Miller continued to flounder in his first year with the Red Sox, the 6-foot-7, 205-pounder moved to the bullpen on a full-time basis the next season. That represented a eureka moment for Miller, who began a years-long run as one of the most imposing late-game options in baseball.

Miller held his own in Boston into the 2014 season, but with the team well out of contention at that year’s deadline, it traded the then-pending free agent to the AL East rival Orioles. Miller went on to provide 20 dominant regular-season innings in Baltimore, which coasted to a division title, as well as 7 1/3 scoreless, one-hit frames in the playoffs. The Orioles lost the ALCS in four games to the Royals, however, and then saw Miller head to a different division rival – the Yankees – during the ensuing period of free agency. In light of those results, and considering what they gave up for Miller, perhaps the O’s now regret the trade. Boston definitely doesn’t, having received one of its top pitchers in Eduardo Rodriguez for Miller.

Dating back to the deal, the Red Sox have seen Rodriguez turn into an above-average major league starter. Rodriguez, who debuted with Boston in 2015, is the owner of a lifetime 4.03 ERA/3.94 FIP across 699 innings. Although Rodriguez didn’t prove to be a workhorse in his first four years in the league, that changed last season. The 27-year-old Rodriguez was one of 15 pitchers who accumulated 200-plus frames (203 1/3, to be exact), and he posted a 3.81 ERA/3.86 FIP with 9.43 K/9 and 3.32 BB/9 to rank 24th among starters in fWAR (3.7). Ace-like numbers? No, though Boston was surely pleased with that production from a hurler who was on an eminently affordable $4.3MM salary. And the team could get at least two more seasons from Rodriguez, who won’t be eligible to become a free agent until after 2021.

While he hasn’t shown himself to be a true No. 1 starter, the Red Sox can’t be displeased with acquiring Rodriguez for someone on an expiring contract. Meanwhile, the Rockies may be kicking themselves for passing on Rodriguez. Peter Gammons reported in 2014 that the O’s agreed to send Rodriguez to Colorado for fellow southpaw Jorge De La Rosa, but Rockies owner Dick Monfort vetoed the deal. De La Rosa stayed in Colorado through 2016, though the team didn’t contend then or in his last couple years on its roster.

You never know how Rodriguez would have turned out as a Rockie – everyone knows it’s a bear to pitch in their home park – but he has certainly held up well in the AL East. Rodriguez is now one of the most valuable players Boston has.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Is Big Papi A Hall Of Famer?

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Baseball fans love to debate which players should make it to the Hall of Fame, and with the designated hitter position so prominent in the news at the moment, it got me to thinking about David Ortiz’s Cooperstown case. The Boston legend will be eligible to make it there in 2022, and there’s a strong argument he should wind up with a plaque in the museum.

Ortiz is one of the most feared hitters in recent memory, but his career began inauspiciously in Minnesota. As a Twin from 1997-2002, Ortiz amassed 1,693 plate appearances and batted .266/.348/.461 (106 wRC+) with 58 home runs. The Twins then cut ties with Ortiz, but at the behest of Pedro Martinez, the Red Sox signed Big Papi to a non-guaranteed contract in January 2003. Now, in terms of franchise-altering steals, that could rank in Boston sports lore with the Patriots getting Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

Ortiz was a smash success with the Red Sox from the jump, as he slashed .288/.369/.592 (145 wRC+) and put up 31 homers in 509 trips to the plate during his first season with the team. The Red Sox lost to the hated Yankees in the ALCS that year, but they and Ortiz frequently ruled the sport after that. During the rest of Ortiz’a career from 2004-16, all of which was spent in Boston, the Red Sox won three World Series. He was a 10-time All-Star and a .290/.386/.570 hitter (146 wRC+) who piled up 483 homers with the team during that span. Along with his regular-season accomplishments, Ortiz was a monster in the playoffs. When the chips were down in the fall, Ortiz was known to thrive. He was a World Series MVP (2013) and an ALCS MVP (2004 – the year the Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees) who appeared in 85 postseason games between his two clubs and hit .289/.404/.543 with 17 HRs.

As for the regular season, Ortiz ranks 65th all-time in wRC+ (140) and 182nd among position players in fWAR (51.0). He ended his career a .286/.380/.552 hitter who racked up the 17th-most homers ever, 541, and remained an elite hitter even in his last season. Ortiz’s amazing run didn’t come without issues, though. Back in 2009, the New York Times reported Ortiz tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in his breakout 2003 campaign. Ortiz vehemently denied those claims, as you’d expect, and commissioner Rob Manfred came to the slugger’s defense in 2016. Manfred said (via the Boston Globe) it was “entirely possible” Ortiz didn’t take PEDs, adding that “he’s never been a positive at any point under our (testing) program” that began in 2004.

Even if you’re OK with brushing off the PED questions when it comes to Ortiz’s Hall of Fame candidacy, are you willing to be as forgiving when it comes to a lack of defensive impact? For the most part, Ortiz was a full-time DH during his career, which some purists frown upon. For example, former Mariners superstar Edgar Martinez is one of the greatest DHs ever, but it took him until his final year on the ballot (2019) to get to Cooperstown. He’d have been a first-ballot pick for me if I had a vote, though, and the same applies to Ortiz. However, as Hall of Fame expert and FanGraphs writer Jay Jaffe explained in a piece for SI.com in 2016, “a spot in Cooperstown is no certainty” for Ortiz. Do you think it should be?

(Poll link for app users)

Is David Ortiz A Hall Of Famer?
Yes 73.11% (12,237 votes)
No 26.89% (4,501 votes)
Total Votes: 16,738

The Best No. 1 Overall Pick Of The ’80s

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We have recently been taking a look back at No. 1 overall draft picks from previous decades. After focusing on 2000-09 and the 1990s, let’s go back to the ’80s. As you’ll see below, most of these top choices had respectable careers. However, one player was far better than the rest.

1980 – Darryl Strawberry, Mets (41.5 fWAR in 6,326 plate appearances):

  • We don’t need to rehash Strawberry’s many off-field issues. Let’s instead focus on what the outfielder did on the diamond, where he often thrived with the Mets, Dodgers, Giants and Yankees from 1983-99. Strawberry was an NL Rookie of the Year winner who made eight All-Star teams, took home four World Series titles and batted .259/.357/.505 with 335 homers and 221 steals during his time as a major leaguer. In other words, he lived up to his draft selection.

1981 – Mike Moore, Mariners (34.7 fWAR in 2,831 2/3 innings pitched):

  • Moore was seldom spectacular, but he did carve out a nice career for himself among the M’s, A’s and Tigers from 1982-95, during which he made 440 starts and logged a 4.39 ERA/4.27 FIP. He was also a key playoff contributor for the A’s World Series-winning team in 1989 – the same season he made his lone All-Star team.

1982 – Shawon Dunston, Cubs (7.4 fWAR in 6,276 plate appeaances):

  • Four picks before the Mets selected Dwight Gooden, the Cubs went with Dunston, a shortstop/outfielder who had a long career but wasn’t a high-impact player. Dunston appeared in the majors in each year from 1985-2002, and though he totaled 150 HRs and 212 steals, he was just a .269/.296/.416 hitter who never reached the 2.0-fWAR mark in a single season.

1983 – Tim Belcher, Twins (30.3 fWAR in 2,442 2/3 innings pitched):

  • While Belcher enjoyed a nice major league career with a slew of teams, the righty wouldn’t sign with the Twins. The Yankees then selected Belcher in the 1984 supplemental draft, but they lost him to the A’s in the compensation pool. That reportedly left then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fuming. Belcher, meanwhile, went on to post a 4.16 ERA/4.27 FIP from 1987-2000.

1984 – Shawn Abner, Mets (minus-1.2 fWAR in 902 plate appearances):

  • Abner, an outfielder, was a .227/.269/.323 MLB hitter who never even played for the Mets. They sent him and Kevin Mitchell to the Padres in a trade for outfielder Kevin McReynolds, who had a few productive seasons in New York. But Abner was a disappointment, concluding his time in the majors with just 11 homers. Mark McGwire, who went nine picks after him, finished with 583.

1985 – B.J. Surhoff, Brewers (31.4 fWAR in 9,106 plate appearances):

  • Surhoff went one pick before Will Clark and five ahead of Barry Bonds, who turned out to be far better players. But that’s not to say Surhoff was a failure. He started his career as a catcher, later became a corner infielder/outfielder, and wound up a .282/.332/.413 hitter with 188 HRs, 141 steals, and an All-Star appearance between 1987-2005 with the Brewers, Orioles and Braves.

1986 – Jeff King, Pirates (17.0 fWAR in 4,812 plate appearances):

  • King lasted from 1989-99 between the Pirates and Royals, with whom the infielder combined to hit .256/.324/.425 with 154 homers and 75 steals. No shame in those numbers, but fellow high picks Greg Swindell (No. 2), Matt Williams (No. 3), Kevin Brown (No. 4) and Gary Sheffield (No. 6) proved to be better players.

1987 – Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners (77.7 fWAR in 11,304 plate appearances):

  • Here’s the best No. 1 pick of the ’80s – now a Hall of Famer and a sports icon. The sweet-swinging Griffey hit 630 home runs – the seventh-highest total ever – and made 13 All-Star teams in a career divided among the M’s, Reds and White Sox from 1989-2010.

1988 – Andy Benes, Padres (36.2 fWAR in 2,505 1/3 innings pitched):

  • Benes was a capable righty and a onetime All-Star who combined for a 3.97 ERA/4.08 FIP with the Padres and three other organizations from 1989-2002. The workhorse threw at least 220 innings in a season five times. He also led the NL in strikeouts (189) in 1994.

1989 – Ben McDonald, Orioles (20.5 fWAR in 1,291 1/3 innings pitched):

  • Neither McDonald nor picks 2-6 in this draft earned a single All-Star nod. Those six teams overlooked Frank Thomas, who went seventh. Oops. To McDonald’s credit, though, he had a decent career, as he thrice exceeded the 220-inning mark in a season and hung it up with a quality 3.91 ERA/4.08 FIP between Baltimore and Milwaukee after pitching in the bigs from 1989-97.

Remembering The No. 1 Picks: 2000-09

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We previously assessed the No. 1 overall draft picks of the 1990s. Let’s now take a look at how the top selections from the next decade turned out…

2000 – Adrian Gonzalez, Marlins:

  • If you go by career accomplishments, this was an excellent pick. Gonzalez lasted in the majors from 2004-18, batted .287/.358/.485 with 317 home runs and 36.4 fWAR, and was a five-time All-Star. The problem for the Marlins is that the first baseman never donned their uniform. They traded Gonzalez to the Rangers in a deal for reliever Ugueth Urbina in 2003. The deal didn’t aid the Marlins over the long haul, but at least Urbina was part of their most recent World Series winner and playoff team that year.

2001 – Joe Mauer, Twins:

  • Well played, Twins. The former catcher/first baseman, a Saint Paul native, is now a legendary Twin and possible Hall of Famer who played solely with the club from 2004-18 and slashed .306/.388/.439 with 143 homers and 52.5 fWAR. Mauer made six All-Star trips, won three batting titles and earned an AL MVP along the way. The eight-year, $184MM extension he signed with the Twins in 2010 remains the largest contract in franchise history.

2002 – Bryan Bullington, Pirates:

  • While the Gonzalez and Mauer picks panned out, this one couldn’t have gone much worse. The right-handed Bullington combined for just 18 1/3 innings of 5.89 ERA ball with the Pirates in 2005 and ’07. He later spent time with the Indians, Royals and Blue Jays, and after failing to make his mark with those teams, Bullington established himself as an effective starter in Japan from 2011-15. He hasn’t pitched professionally since then. Painful reminder for the Pirates: Zack Greinke went five picks after Bullington.

2003 – Delmon Young, Rays:

  • The effects of this pick continue to be felt today. While Young didn’t last long as a member of the Rays, with whom he played from 2006-07, they’re still benefiting from this selection. Tampa Bay traded Young to the Twins in a deal that netted them Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, who were quite successful as Rays. They later sent Garza to the Cubs in 2011 for a package that included Chris Archer, whom they dealt to the Pirates seven years after that for now-cornerstones Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. Young, meanwhile, was a below-average big leaguer. He played for a few teams through 2015 and accounted for minus-1.3 fWAR.

2004 – Matt Bush, Padres:

  • A disaster for the Padres, as they passed on No. 2 pick Justin Verlander and never got a single contribution from Bush, who has run into serious legal troubles during his career. The Padres designated the then-shortstop for assignment five years after choosing him. However, Bush did get on track and reinvent himself as a reliever with the Rangers from 2016-18. He’s still a member of the Texas organization, but he missed last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

2005 – Justin Upton, Diamondbacks:

  • Upton, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero, Troy Tulowitzki, Andrew McCutchen and Jay Bruce were among the top 12 picks in that year’s draft. All eight of those players went on to make at least one All-Star team (four in Upton’s case). Formerly a shortstop, Upton became a productive outfielder in Arizona from 2007-12, but the team dealt him to the Braves in a January 2013 blockbuster. Upton’s now a member of the Angels after also spending time with the Padres and Tigers. The 32-year-old’s a lifetime .266/.347/.476 hitter with 298 homers, 147 steals and 36.8 fWAR. You can’t argue with those results.

2006 – Luke Hochevar, Royals:

  • Evan Longoria (No. 3), Andrew Miller (No. 6), Clayton Kershaw (No. 7), Tim Lincecum (No. 10) and Max Scherzer (No. 11) were some of the other highest picks in that draft. Hochevar paled in comparison to each of them, but after several rough seasons as a starter, the righty did become a solid reliever toward the end of his career. He was even part of the Royals’ amazing World Series-winning bullpen in 2015, ending up as the victorious pitcher in the Fall Classic-deciding Game 5 against the Mets.  Hochevar pitched for just one more season after that, though, and thoracic outlet syndrome surgery helped lead to his retirement in 2018.

2007 – David Price, Rays:

  • The Rays definitely got this one right. Price was tremendous in their uniform from 2008-14, a span in which he made four All-Star teams and won an AL Cy Young Award. The club later traded him to the Tigers in a deal that’s still helping out the Rays to some degree. Price, now a Dodger, went on to pitch for Toronto and Boston after his short-lived Tigers tenure. He won a World Series as a member of the Red Sox in 2018, the third season of a seven-year, $217MM contract. Back when Price signed that deal, it was a record pact for a pitcher.

2008 – Tim Beckham, Rays:

  • You can’t win ’em all. Two picks before the Royals grabbed Eric Hosmer and four prior to the Giants’ selection of Buster Posey, the Rays made the mistake of going with Beckham, who hasn’t made much of an impact in the majors. The Rays ultimately cut ties with Beckham when they traded him to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Tobias Myers in 2017. Beckham spent last year with the Mariners, but he’s now a free agent after earning an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs late in 2019. He’s a career .249/.302/.431 hitter who has totaled an unimpressive 4.3 fWAR thus far.

2009 – Stephen Strasburg, Nationals [RELATED: The Nats’ Amazing Run Of First-Rounders]:

  • Clearly one of the biggest success stories on this list, Strasburg debuted with great fanfare in 2010, striking out 14 Pirates in his initial start. There have been some injury troubles since then, but Strasburg, 31, has consistently performed like a front-end starter when healthy. And Strasburg was so good during the Nationals’ first-ever run to a championship last fall that he earned World Series MVP honors. The Nats then awarded him with a franchise-record seven-year, $245MM contract to prevent him from exiting via free agency. Regardless of how Strasburg performs from here, he’ll be considered one of the most important players in team history.

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This is a hit-and-miss group. Five players became major league standouts, while the other half disappointed. Who’s the best of the bunch? It’s hard to go against Strasburg in the wake of his playoff heroics, but Gonzalez and Mauer had outstanding careers, and Upton and Price have been far above average as well.

Latest News & Notes On Coronavirus, MLB

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If there is a 2020 Major League Baseball season and at least some of it doesn’t occur in teams’ home ballparks, the state of Arizona has come up as a potential host. It’s anyone’s guess whether that will happen, but Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday that pro sports teams will be able to resume without spectators in the state beginning on May 16, Andrew Oxford of the Arizona Republic writes. That in itself is not necessarily an indicator that baseball’s nearing a return, though. As Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. the league’s not going to play this year if it’s not convinced it will be be in position to provide sufficient coronavirus testing to its players. Fortunately, MLB does expect that it will be able to fulfill that requirement.

  • MLB and the MLBPA met Tuesday to discuss a potential season, but they mostly talked about health and safety, according to Heyman. He and Joel Sherman of the New York Post note that there wasn’t a former proposal regarding 50-50 revenue sharing or pay cuts, adding that those talks will occur later. However, owners are not keen on paying players prorated salaries without fans in the stands, per Heyman. They instead believe they’d lose less money with no baseball at all, which could be a major stumbling block in negotiations. “I think we will play,” an agent told Travis Sawchik of FiveThirtyEight, “but there is going to be an economic war.” That’s not a reassuring statement, especially with the league and the union set to engage in serious collective bargaining agreement discussions in the near future.
  • Beginning June 1, any Mariners employee who makes $60K or more will have to take a 20 percent pay cut through the end of October, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports. That will have a negative effect on about 60 employees, but the Mariners are taking that measure as a way to avoid any layoffs or furloughs during that five-month period. General manaager Jerry Dipoto will be among those on the bad end of it, as Brock writes that his pay will decrease by even more than 20 percent, but he’s behind the organization’s plan. “We wanted to make sure we did the right thing and kept people afloat during a difficult time,” Dipoto told Brock.
  • You can probably forget about baseball taking place in Los Angeles County in the near future. Its stay-at-home orders “with all certainty” will last for at least three more months, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced Tuesday, per Colleen Shalby and Sarah Parvini of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Three notable members of the Rangers have preexisting conditions, making them more susceptible to contracting the virus, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. Starter Kyle Gibson was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis a year ago, reliever Brett Martin’s a diabetic, and third base coach Tony Beasley is a cancer survivor. All three told Grant that they’re eager to get back in action, though there would have to be safety protocols in place first.

The Padres’ Under-The-Radar Star

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There may not be many who realize it, but the Padres’ Tommy Pham has been one of the most productive outfielders in baseball over the past few years. Compared to most other major league standouts, Pham came from humble draft beginnings as a 16th-round pick in 2006, and it took him several years to put up notable production in the minors. From his draft year through 2009, Pham’s OPS sat below .700, but his numbers trended upward thereafter, and he finally earned his first MLB look in 2014 with the Cardinals, who drafted him.

While Pham only played in six games and totaled a mere two plate appearances the year St. Louis promoted him, he represented a solid bench piece with the club from 2015-16, during which he slashed .247/.335/.458 (115 wRC+) in 356 PA. Any team would sign up for that type of offensive production from a reserve player, but Pham has demonstrated since then that he’s a bona fide starter – not a backup.

Pham’s breakout began in 2017, a season in which he batted .306/.411/.520 with 23 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 530 PA. Although Pham ended the year eighth in the majors in wRC+ (149) and 10th in fWAR (6.2), it proved to be his only full season as a starter in St. Louis.

Pham got off to an underwhelming start in 2018, when he owned a .730 OPS through July, and the Cardinals sent him and $500K in international bonus money to the Rays at the deadline in exchange for outfielder  Justin Williams, left-hander Genesis Cabrera and right-hander Roel Ramirez. The Cardinals haven’t really profited from that swap at the MLB level, at least not yet, but it went swimmingly for the Rays. Pham was terrific in Tampa Bay from 2018-19, when he totaled 828 PA and led all their position players in fWAR (5.9), hitting .287/.385/.485 (136 wRC+) with 28 homers and 30 steals.

You’d think the Rays would have regarded Pham as a keeper after his first season-plus in their uniform, but considering he’s 32, on a $7.9MM salary this season and only controllable for one more year after that, the budget-conscious franchise flipped him over the winter. The Rays wound up sending Pham to the Padres in a December 2019 deal centering on him and the powerful Hunter Renfroe, a fellow outfielder. Pham is flat-out better than Renfroe, but the latter’s 28, on a $3.3MM salary this year and under wraps through 2023, so you can see his appeal from the Rays’ standpoint.

So what did the Padres get in Pham? A batter who has been far superior to most offensive players since he busted out in 2017. Going back to then, here’s where Pham ranks in a few important categories…

Not only can Pham hit, but he’s a respectable outfielder – someone who has lined up at all three spots in the grass during his career and accounted for nine Defensive Runs and a 6.5 Ultimate Zone Rating in almost 4,000 innings. By all indications, the Padres have a gem on their hands in Pham. The question now is how much they’ll benefit from his presence in 2020, when the coronavirus will lead to a shortened campaign or perhaps no season at all.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

From Waiver Fodder To MLB Regular?

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If you’re a hitter who records a wRC+ of 150 during a season, it means you were absolutely tremendous and 50 percent better than the average offensive player. The Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte finished with exactly that number last season, and as most who follow baseball know, he was a contender for National League Most Valuable Player honors. Shifting to the AL, the Orioles essentially had their own offensive version of Marte, at least against left-handed pitchers. While facing southpaws, little-known infielder Hanser Alberto batted an eyebrow-raising .398/.414/.534 in 227 plate appearances. Only J.D. Martinez (.404) bettered the right-handed Alberto’s average versus lefties, while just 18 batters defeated his 151 wRC+ against them.

Alberto’s ownership of southpaws was a rare bright spot during a 54-win campaign for the Orioles, and no one could have expected it after he was passed around so much during the previous offseason. The Rangers, with whom Alberto appeared in the majors from 2015-16 and again in 2018, designated Alberto for assignment and he left the organization when the Yankees claimed him on waivers in November 2018. He never suited up for the Yankees, though, as they lost him to the Orioles via waivers in January 2019. That was not the end of a busy offseason for Alberto, whom the Giants picked up on waivers in February before the Orioles claimed him yet again in March.

You have to give credit to the 27-year-old Alberto for persevering through a whirlwind of transactions and emerging as one of the O’s most productive players a season ago. The question now is whether Baltimore has a keeper or at least a valuable trade chip in Alberto.

First of all, the fact that Alberto thrashed lefties last year isn’t the only positive. He’s also versatile enough to play multiple infield positions (second and third) and under affordable control via arbitration through 2022. Problem is that it’s hard to envision Alberto sustaining his 2019 production. Prior to then, he was just a .192/.210/.231 hitter with zero home runs in 192 major league plate appearances. That doesn’t mean the light bulb couldn’t have gone on – Alberto was a solid .309/.330/.438 batter over 1,000 Triple-A attempts before last season – but it appears there was a substantial amount of luck lifting him up during his first year in Baltimore.

Alberto concluded last season with an overall line of .305/.329/.422 (96 wRC+) and 12 dingers and 1.9 fWAR in 550 PA. He also led the league in strikeout percentage (9.1) and came in 10th in contact percentage (86.5). Looks like good news, but was it impactful contact? Not really. According to FanGraphs, Alberto ranked dead last among 135 qualified hitters in hard-contact percentage (24.6). Statcast also wasn’t enthralled, ranking Alberto in the bottom 1 percent of the majors in hard-hit rate, average exit velocity and walk percentage. Alberto did place in the game’s 88th percentile in expected batting average (.290), but even that looks as if it will be difficult to maintain. Just about all of his damage came off southpaws (righties held him to an awful 57 wRC+), but he posted a .435 batting average on balls in play against them that you can’t reasonably expect to carry over.

While Alberto’s bottom-line production versus lefties was otherworldly last year, chances are that it won’t continue. But even if it doesn’t, you can’t criticize Baltimore in this case. The team has already gotten far more value from Alberto than it could have realistically anticipated when it added him to its roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

A Seattle Signing That Didn’t Work Out In 2019

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Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi entered the majors with quite a bit of fanfare heading into the 2019 season. At that point, Kikuchi was coming off a terrific eight-year tenure as a member of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Seibu Lions, with whom he posted a 2.77 ERA and put up 8.0 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 across 1,010 2/3 innings. Kikuchi parlayed that run into a high-paying contract with the Mariners, who signed him to a four-year, $56MM guarantee. It’s an unusual deal – one that could keep him in Seattle for as few as three years and as many as seven, as MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and Steve Adams explained at the time.

For now, the Mariners may be disappointed in their investment. Kikuchi struggled mightily during his first major league season, and there don’t seem to be many clear reasons to expect a turnaround. Starting with some optimism, it’s nice that Kikuchi amassed 161 2/3 innings, approaching the career-high 163 2/3 he accrued during an NPB season. But while Kikuchi ranked a respectable 59th in innings last year, he wasn’t very productive otherwise.

Among 70 pitchers who threw at least 150 frames, Kikuchi ranked last in FIP (5.71) and home runs per nine (2.00), second from the bottom in ERA (5.46) and 10th last in K/BB ratio (2.32; 6.46 K/9 against 2.78 BB/9). And the 28-year-old wasn’t effective against either lefties or righties. Same-handed hitters recorded a .340 weighted on-base average against him, meaning Kikuchi essentially turned lefties into the 2019 version of Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager. Righties, meanwhile, averaged a lofty .374 mark – the same number Astros second baseman Jose Altuve registered during the season.

So why was Year 1 such a disaster for Kikuchi? Well, as you’d expect, none of his pitches graded out well. According to Statcast, Kikuchi mostly relied on a four-seam fastball (49 percent), a slider (28 percent) and a curveball (15 percent). FanGraphs ranked all of those offerings among the worst of their kind, making it no surprise that so many hitters teed off on him. With that in mind, it’s hardly a shock that Kikuchi ranked toward the basement of the majors in a slew of important Statcast categories, finishing in the league’s 35th percentile or worse in exit velocity, hard-hit rate, expected ERA and expected wOBA, to name a few.

Had Kikuchi gotten off to a slow start and then made a late charge, it would be easier to have some hope going into this season. It was essentially the opposite, though, as Kikuchi owned a passable 4.37 ERA/4.51 FIP through April and then went in the tank from there. His monthly FIP only dipped below 5.00 once after the season’s first month, and it exceeded the 6.00 mark overall after the All-Star break.

In terms of performance from a hyped pitcher, it’s tough to make a much worse first impression than Kikuchi’s from 2019. That doesn’t mean he’ll never amount to anything in the majors – you have to sympathize with someone trying to adjust to a new country and the best baseball league in the world, after all. However, it’s not easy to find encouraging signs from Kikuchi’s first year in the majors, which is not what the rebuilding, long-suffering Mariners had in mind when they took a gamble on him in free agency.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grading Jason Heyward’s Career (So Far)

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It would be an understatement to say the Cubs’ Jason Heyward has had an eventful career in professional baseball. Heyward was the 14th pick of the Braves in the 2007 draft, and the Georgia-raised outfielder’s star continued to rise thereafter. As a prospect, Heyward topped out as Baseball America’s No. 1 overall farmhand after the 2009 season.

“Even if he opens 2010 at Triple-A Gwinnett, Heyward will be starting in Atlanta at some point during the year, and he has all the ability to emerge as one of the game’s premier players,” BA wrote then.

The towering Heyward did not start 2010 in the minors, though, instead beginning as the Braves’ top right fielder. And he made an enormous impact from the get-go, smashing a first-inning, three-run homer off Cubs righty Carlos Zambrano in his initial at-bat. The Braves went on to win that game and 90 more en route to a wild-card berth, owing in no small part to a 4.6-fWAR Heyward effort in which he batted .277/.393/.456 in 623 plate appearances.

It seemed that the rookie version of Heyward was indeed destined for greatness, but his career hasn’t been particularly consistent since then. Heyward remained a Brave from 2011-14, a 2,196-plate appearance run in which he batted .258/.340/.422 with 14.9 fWAR, but they decided after the last of those seasons to trade the homegrown standout to the Cardinals in a deal for right-hander Shelby Miller. That wasn’t indefensible from the Braves’ point of view, as Miller was then an up-and-coming starter with a few years’ team control remaining and Heyward had just one season left before reaching free agency.

[RELATED: Butterfly Effects & The Jason Heyward Signing]

If you go by fWAR, Heyward had his best in St. Louis (5.6), hitting .293/.359/.439 with 13 homers and a career-high 23 steals in 610 PA. Heyward was part of a 100-win team that year, but after the Cardinals bowed out of the NLDS against the Cubs, the free agent went to … the Cubs. They handed him an eight-year, $184MM guarantee, but Heyward’s regular-season numbers have fallen flat dating back to then. During his first four years as a Cub, Heyward batted an underwhelming .252/.327/.383 line across 2,151 trips to the plate, leading to 6.0 fWAR. Heyward’s typically outstanding defense has kept him afloat, as he has logged 42 Defensive Runs Saved and a 27.2 Ultimate Zone Rating as a Chicago outfielder (overall, he has put up 143 DRS with a 99.5 UZR as a big leaguer). Of course, it’s not always just about statistics.

On Nov. 2, 2016, the Cubs and Indians were tied 6-6 through nine innings and stuck in a rain delay in Game 7 of the World Series. It was two teams trying to break long championship droughts, but on Chicago’s side, Heyward went into Knute Rockne mode in the locker room.

“We’re the best team in baseball, and we’re the best team in baseball for a reason,” Heyward told his teammates (via Tom Verducci’s book “The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse“). “Now we’re going to show it. We play like the score is nothing-nothing. We’ve got to stay positive and fight for your brothers. Stick together and we’re going to win this game.” 

“Right then I thought, We’re winning this f—— game!,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said.

The Cubs did just that when the 17-minute delay ended, defeating the Indians in the 10th to pick up their first title in 108 years. It’s hard to quantify how much Heyward meant to that team on an emotional level. He went 0-for-5 in that game and posted a miserable .307 OPS during the postseason, which came after he recorded a personal-worst 72 wRC+ in the regular season, but that Game 7 speech will always live in Cubs lore.

While the Cubs haven’t won another title since 2016, Heyward’s production has trended upward going back to then, as he has been something close to a league-average hitter. Still, that’s not great for a former can’t-miss prospect who’s owed another $86MM through 2023. In all, Heyward has been a bit better than average as an offensive player during his career, having batted .261/.343/.412 (107 wRC+) with 144 homers and 110 steals in 5,580 PA. However, consistently stellar defense has helped the 30-year-old accumulate 31.1 fWAR, which is a higher amount than the vast majority of major leaguers have piled up, and he may have helped key a Cubs title behind the scenes. All things considered, how would you grade his career to this point?

(Poll link for app users)

Grade Jason Heyward's career so far
C 53.08% (7,280 votes)
B 28.17% (3,864 votes)
D 13.25% (1,818 votes)
F 3.72% (510 votes)
A 1.78% (244 votes)
Total Votes: 13,716

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Remembering The No. 1 Picks Of The 1990s

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We know the 2020 Major League Baseball draft is going to be unconventional, an event that will last a mere five rounds compared to the 40 we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years. Regardless, the team with the No. 1 overall pick – Detroit – is in the best position to land a future superstar. But how many recent top choices have actually panned out? Let’s start in the 1990s, and you can be the judge…

1990: Chipper Jones, Braves:

  • What a success. The former third baseman/outfielder is now a Hall of Famer after spending his entire career with the Braves from 1993-2012. In his first full season, 1995, Jones helped the Braves to their most recent World Series title. Overall, Jones slashed .303/.401/.529 with 468 home runs, 150 stolen bases and 84.6 fWAR, and made eight All-Star teams.

1991: Brien Taylor, Yankees:

  • This couldn’t have gone much worse, as former FanGraphs writer Mike Axisa noted back in 2012. Off-field problems helped prevent the left-handed Taylor from ever taking a major league mound. He’s one of just four No. 1 picks to never get to the league.

1992: Phil Nevin, Astros:

  • Nevin carved out a decent career as a member of several teams from 1995-2006, during which he hit .270/.343/.472 with 208 home runs and 15.2 fWAR, but made little impact with the Astros. They traded him to the Tigers for righty Mike Henneman in 2006. Nevin may be best known as the player the Astros chose five picks before Derek Jeter. Then-Astros scout Hal Newhouser was so insistent Houston should pick Jeter that he quit his job when it didn’t happen.

1993: Alex Rodriguez, Mariners:

  • Good work, Seattle. Rodriguez didn’t last that long with the Mariners (1994-2000), but he made four All-Star teams and batted .309/.374/.561 with 189 homers, 133 steals and 35.0 fWAR during that span. You can’t argue with those results, nor do his next teams – the Rangers or Yankees – regret the numbers he turned in later in his career. Peformance-enhancing drug issues have made the ex-shortstop/third baaseman a polarizing figure, however.

1994: Paul Wilson, Mets:

  • Wilson did pitch in the majors, but he only tossed 149 innings with the Mets (all in 1996) and didn’t log a single frame in the bigs from 1997-99. He did amass almost 800 more innings between the Rays and Reds from 2000-05, but didn’t exactly wow with a lifetime 4.86 ERA.

1995: Darin Erstad, Angels:

  • The former Nebraska punter won three Gold Glovees, made two All-Star teams and helped the Angels to their lone World Series title in 2002. Erstad – an outfielder/first baseman – finished his career in 2009 as a .282/.336/.407 hitter with 124 homers, 179 steals and 28.5 fWAR.

1996: Kris Benson, Pirates:

  • He was never an ace, but the righty had a reasonably productive career, finishing with a 4.42 ERA and 14.8 fWAR in a combined 206 games with the Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Rangers and Diamondbacks from 1999-2010.

1997: Matt Anderson, Tigers:

  • Four of the top five picks in this draft (J.D. Drew, Troy Glaus, Jason Grilli and Vernon Wells) became All-Stars. The lone exception was Anderson, a righty who only produced 0.5 fWAR in 256 2/3 innings between the Tigers and Rockies from 1998-2005.

1998: Pat Burrell, Phillies:

  • Burrell wasn’t a superstar, but he had a solid career, winding up with a .253/.361/.472 line, 292 HRs and 19.0 fWAR among the Phillies, Rays and Giants from 2000-11. He won two World Series – one with the Phils and another with the Giants.

1999: Josh Hamilton, Rays:

  • Hamilton’s off-field troubles were well-documented during his career, and he never played for the Rays as a result. They left Hamilton unprotected in the 2005 Rule 5 Draft, and the Cubs selected him before trading him to the Reds. Hamilton thrived in Cincinnati in 2007 before the team traded him to the Rangers in a deal that sent righty Edinson Volquez to the Reds. That proved to be a steal for the Rangers, with whom Hamilton was a five-time All-Star, an AL MVP winner and someone who helped them to two pennants. He ended his career in 2015 with the Rangers (after a big-money stint with the Angels) as a .290/.349/.516 hitter with 200 HRs and 27.9 fWAR, making him one of the most successful performers on this list.

—

This is a mixed bag, isn’t it? Jones is in Cooperstown. A-Rod’s production could put him there, but he may never get enough support because of the PED questions. Nevin, Erstad, Benson, Burrell and Hamilton had respectable careers in their own right, while Taylor, Wilson and Anderson did little to nothing at the MLB level.

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