Ugueth Urbina Hopes To Return To MLB
Recently released from prison in Venezuela after serving seven years of a 14-year sentence for attempted murder, former big league reliever Ugueth Urbina hopes to return to MLB according to Reyes Urena of El Nacional. The right-hander is currently working out with the Caracas Lions.
"The objective is to pitch," said Urbina. "When? My arm will say, and that's why I'm here. I'll work out two times a day if it's necessary, but my primary goal is to suit up with the Lions. After that, we'll know if any doors open to me up north (in MLB), which is what I want. I know that right now my mechanics aren't very good, but my arm is healthy. I only have to work on the details."
Alexander Mendoza of El Nacional recently reported Urbina was able to work out and play softball while in prison, and it's been rumored that he even hit 90 mph recently. The 39-year-old last pitched for the Tigers and Phillies back in 2005, and he owns a 3.45 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 11 big league seasons with six different teams. His son Juan is a prospect with the Mets.
Nick Collias provided the translations.
The Latest On Adam LaRoche
Free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche told Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post that he is in talks with multiple clubs in addition to the Nationals. His preference is to remain in Washington, but he also expressed some frustration that the two sides have not yet reached an agreement.
“We’re talking to a few other teams,” said LaRoche to Kilgore yesterday. “Got to keep things open in case Washington doesn’t work out. I’m still hopeful that it will, but as you know it takes two sides cooperating to make that happen. I’m doing everything I can.”
LaRoche added that he's left negotiations to his representatives at SFX, saying he's "let the guys who get paid to do that do their job." The 33-year-old is the top remaining free agent slugger, having hit .271/.343/.510 with 33 homers in 647 plate appearances for the Nationals last season. Since he rejected a qualifying offer, he will require draft pick compensation to sign.
The Nationals have made LaRoche a two-year contract offer, but he's seeking a third guaranteed year. He's reportedly been talking to the Red Sox as their agreement with Mike Napoli appears to be in danger due to a hip issue. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked LaRoche as the 15th best free agent available this winter, predicting he would re-sign with the Nats.
Remaining Free Agent Contact Hitters
With power becoming harder to find, lots of teams are shifting towards a contact-oriented offense. They seek players who can hit for average and put the ball in play to force the defense's hand, move runners over, all sorts of stuff. Few players manage to be above-average at both hitting for power and putting the ball in play, but Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Beltre, Robinson Cano, and Albert Pujols are among those who pull it off.
The league average strikeout rate in 2012 was 19.8% (of all plate appearances). Marco Scutaro had the lowest strikeout rate among qualified hitters this year (7.2%) while Jose Reyes was second (7.8%). Adam Dunn, on the other hand, had the highest strikeout rate at 34.2%. Only four other players (Pedro Alvarez, Drew Stubbs, Carlos Pena, Chris Davis) were over 30%. Strikeouts are not the only way to identify hitters who can put the ball in play though, especially in the age of PitchFX. Contact rate, which is available at FanGraphs and uses PitchFX data, is the percentage of contact made with individual swings. The league average contact rate was 79.6% this past season, with Scutaro (95.2%) and Josh Hamilton (64.6%) representing the two extremes. No other player was above 92.6% or below 66.9%.
Here are the remaining unsigned free agents who posted better than average strikeout and contact rates in 2012 (min. 200 PA). The lists, as you'll notice, are not identical.
Strikeout Rate
- Carlos Lee – 8.0%
- Casey Kotchman – 9.8%
- Juan Rivera – 10.3%
- Yuniesky Betancourt – 11.0%
- Johnny Damon – 12.1%
- Ryan Theriot – 12.2%
- Adam Kennedy – 16.4%
- Jose Lopez – 16.5%
- Travis Hafner – 17.5%
- Orlando Hudson – 18.0%
- Yorvit Torrealba – 18.3%
- Delmon Young – 18.4%
- Scott Rolen – 18.8%
- Rod Barajas – 19.1%
Contact Rate
- Lee – 89.5%
- Theriot – 89.3%
- Damon – 89.2%
- Kotchman – 87.7%
- Betancourt – 85.3%
- Rivera – 84.8%
- Hudson – 84.6%
- Kennedy – 84.4%
- Rolen – 84.0%
- Lopez – 83.7%
- Bobby Abreu – 82.9%
- Jeff Baker – 80.2%
- Hafner – 79.7%
Damon and Rolen could retire before the end of the offseason, which would further remove from the crop of available contact hitters.
Plenty Of Interest In Brian Wilson
Former Giants closer Brian Wilson is generating plenty of interest this offseason, reports Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The MVP Sports Group client isn't close to signing, but he has narrowed his list down from nine or ten teams to approximately five.
Wilson, 30, made just two appearances this past season before blowing out his elbow and needing a second Tommy John surgery. The Giants non-tendered him last month rather than pay a projected $8.5MM salary in 2013 through arbitration. They'll reportedly stay in touch with Wilson this winter, though the rival Dodgers are said to be kicking around the idea of signing him.
Mets Looking For Bullpen Help
The Mets are scouring the market for relief help, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Incumbent closer Frank Francisco had minor elbow surgery earlier this month, but he is expected to be ready in time for Spring Training.
There is still plenty of bullpen help available as our Free Agent Tracker shows, including closer candidates like Matt Capps, Jose Valverde, Brian Wilson, and former Met Francisco Rodriguez. At the moment, New York's bullpen is set to feature Francisco, Bobby Parnell, and rookies like Josh Edgin, Robert Carson, and Jeurys Familia.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Hanrahan, Porcello, Morgan
On this date in 1994, the Padres and Astros completed a 12-player trade. Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, and four others went to San Diego in exchange for Derek Bell, Doug Brocail, Ricky Gutierrez, and three others. It was the fourth largest trade of the 20th century in terms of the number of players involved. Here's the latest from around the web…
- SF Giants Rumors interviewed former Giants closer Brian Wilson.
- Over The Monster says there's a problem with the Joel Hanrahan trade for Boston.
- Raise the Jolly Roger isn't blown away by what the Pirates received in the deal.
- Bucs Dugout says Mark Melancon was a good addition for the Pirates.
- Talkin' Sox with Dan wrote about Daniel Bard's role in the Hanrahan trade.
- River Ave. Blues thinks the Yankees could use a Hanrahan trade of their own.
- The Beanball says Hanrahan is not a closer.
- Wahoo's on First calls Nick Swisher a perfect fit for the Indians.
- Bless You Boys says the Tigers should wait for the right deal to trade Rick Porcello.
- Rays Colored Glasses wonders if the Rays will get back in the hunt for Justin Upton.
- Chicken Friars is glad the Padres have not traded prospect Jedd Gyorko.
- Pinstripe Pundits says Russell Martin will be an underrated loss for the Yankees.
- Blue Jays Plus thinks the Blue Jays will experience a defensive decline next season.
- The True Fan's Sports Blog looked at the top three remaining free agents.
- Rising Apple thinks Nyjer Morgan could be a fit for the Mets.
- MLB Reports wrote about the state of the Giants' roster.
- South Side Sox eulogized A.J. Pierzynski.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Marlins “Lukewarm” On Dariel Alvarez
The Marlins are "lukewarm" at best on Cuban outfielder Dariel Alvarez, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel. The team is unlikely to attend his showcase on January 5th.
Alvarez, 24, was officially declared a free agent by MLB earlier this month. The right-handed hitter defected last summer and is currently playing in the Vera Cruz winter league in Mexico, where he's hitting .317/.335/.465 with three homers in 49 games. MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reported last month that Alvarez stands 6-foot-2 and 190 lbs., and can play all three outfield spots while providing above-average arm strength.
Takashi Saito To Sign With Rakuten Golden Eagles
Veteran right-hander Takashi Saito has agreed to a one-year deal worth $350K (plus incentives) with the Rakuten Golden Eagles according to reports passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Saito, who is represented by Nez Balelo at CAA Sports, is returning to his hometown of Sendai, where Rakuten plays its home games.
"We want him to perform well and become a symbol of Tohoku’s recovery, and we expect him to pass his Major League experience on to our young players," said Rakuten team president Yozo Tachibana according to Newman.
Saito, 42, allowed 14 runs in 12 innings with the Diamondbacks last season while battling calf and hamstring issues. Although he came over to MLB with little fanfare seven years ago, Saito almost immediately became a dominant reliever. In 338 MLB innings, he owns a 2.34 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Braves, Brewers, and D'Backs.
Rakuten has already signed both Casey McGehee and Andruw Jones this offseason. Saito spent 13 years with the Yokohama BayStars earlier in his career.
Few Free Agent Ground Ball Pitchers Remain
Generally speaking, teams prefer pitchers who get ground balls. Ground balls can sneak through the infield for base hits, but they never go over the fence for a homer and need to be well-placed (down the line, typically) to go for extra bases at all. Great pitchers like David Price, Felix Hernandez, and Clayton Kershaw get both strikeouts and grounders, but few can do both.
The MLB average ground ball rate was 45.1% in 2012, the highest it's been since reliable batted ball data started being recorded in 2002. Trevor Cahill led all qualified pitchers with a 61.2% ground ball rate this past year, and he was the only pitcher over 60%. Phil Hughes had the lowest ground ball rate at 32.4%, making him one of only two pitchers below 35% (Bruce Chen, 32.7%). Here's the short list of unsigned free agent pitchers who posted a better than league average ground ball rate last season (min. 80 IP)…
- Derek Lowe – 59.2%
- Aaron Cook – 58.6%
- Carlos Zambrano – 49.1%
Kevin Millwood (44.7%) fell just short of a league average ground ball rate while both Erik Bedard (43.3%) and Joe Saunders (43.1%) were a little further behind. Kyle Lohse, the best starting pitcher left on the market, generated a ground ball 40.5% of the time this past season. Shaun Marcum is a big time fly ball pitcher, with a 35.4% grounder rate in 2012 and a sub-41% rate in four of his five full big league seasons.
It's worth noting that Carl Pavano, who didn't pitch much in 2012 due to a shoulder problem, had a 50.6% ground ball rate in 2011. Brett Myers, who is looking for a job as a starter, posted a 47.7% ground ball the last time he was a full-time rotation guy.
First Base Remains “An Area Of Focus” For Red Sox
The Red Sox are still trying to finalize their contract agreement with Mike Napoli and have also spoken to Adam LaRoche recently, so it's clear they're looking to add a big bat. Assistant GM Brian O'Halloran confirmed first base remains "an area of focus" for the club during an appearance on WEEI's Red Sox Hot Stove Show yesterday.
"I’m not going to be able to address any specific free agents," said O'Halloran. "I will say that [GM Ben Cherington] has been in touch with a number of free agents. First base … is an area of focus. Not the only area of focus — we’re looking to strengthen our club any way we can. That process never ends. But Ben has certainly been in touch with a number of free agents, ongoing conversations, over the last few weeks."
As our Free Agent Tracker shows, unsigned free agent first basemen include LaRoche, Napoli, Lyle Overbay, Aubrey Huff, Carlos Lee, and Lance Berkman. The Red Sox have Mauro Gomez, who hit .275/.324/.422 in 111 plate appearances last season, on the 40-man roster and could theoretically use David Ortiz at first base as well. He hasn't started more than ten games at the position since 2004, however.
In our poll last night, nearly 10,000 MLBTR readers said they believe Boston's deal with Napoli will fall through and he will wind up signing elsewhere.