Odds & Ends: Angels, Willis, Oswalt, Jones
Memorial Day linkage, as Ubaldo Jimenez continues to amaze…
- T.J. Simers of the LA Times offers a profile of refreshingly down-to-earth Angels owner Arte Moreno.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune explains the dilemma the White Sox will face when they have the chance to select Ozney Guillen on draft day.
- Ryan Zimmerman would like to see the Nationals acquire Roy Oswalt, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
- A scout told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that he would be interested in Adam Jones if the Orioles considered trading him, despite the young outfielder's 2010 struggles.
- MLBTR is looking for an intern with strong Excel skills and a willingness to contribute for 30 minutes a day. If you are interested in this unpaid data entry position, send a short e-mail to mlbtrintern@gmail.com by the end of the day.
- We will be giving away a DVD of the movie Sugar to our 30,000th Twitter follower (currently 584 followers away). Sugar chronicles a Dominican pitcher trying to make it to the Majors.
- The Cubs announced the promotion of 2008 first-round pick Andrew Cashner. The big righty will work out of the bullpen. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle notes that several years ago, Cashner offered the Astros a hometown discount and they declined.
- The Pirates benched second baseman Akinori Iwamura in favor of Neil Walker, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Iwamura, the team's highest-paid player, was an out-of-character acquisition for GM Neal Huntington. At the time of the trade there had been talk about an extension, but we have to assume that idea has been tabled.
- Dontrelle Willis' agent Matt Sosnick spoke to MLB.com's Jason Beck, saying his client could benefit from a fresh start despite a fair chance with the Tigers.
- Rany Jazayerli says Dayton Moore is not the worst GM in baseball, and it is too early to judge his organizational rebuilding effort.
- With one week left, AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere has his third first-round mock draft. ESPN's Keith Law also posted a mock draft, for those who have Insider.
- Heath Bell explained to Bill Center and Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune why he still has hostility toward the Mets.
D’Backs Interested In Dontrelle Willis
The Diamondbacks are interested in Dontrelle Willis, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Agent Matt Sosnick told Piecoro that Arizona is "one of the places [Willis] would rather play." Willis would prefer to play for an NL team on the West Coast, but the Tigers, who designated the lefty for assignment, still have some say in where he goes. They have discussed a trade with the Diamondbacks, who are interested in Willis as a starter.
The Tigers have about a week to determine Willis' future. They could trade him, release him, or put him on waivers. If the D'Backs trade for Willis, the Tigers will pay the vast majority of his $12MM salary. Willis, 28, has a 4.98 ERA this year with 6.9 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9. He never found his control in parts of three seasons with the Tigers, but a return to the NL could help the former Rookie of the Year.
Odds & Ends: Willis, Pierzynski, Mets, Miranda
Links for Sunday….
- Matthew Carruth at FanGraphs says that Dontrelle Willis could go from being a big sunk cost to a valuable investment if he flees to an NL club for the league minimum.
- Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune reminds us that A.J. Pierzynski's ten-and-five rights kick in on June 14th, just over two weeks away. At that point the catcher will be able to veto any trade.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis says (via Twitter) that he remains unconvinced that the Mets would exceed MLB's recommended slot bonus in next month's draft. The Amazin's hold the seventh overall pick.
- Chad Jennings of The Journal News chronicles the story of Yankees' DH Juan Miranda, who wasn't able to successfully defect from Cuba until his seventh attempt.
- In his latest Inbox column at MLB.com, Joe Frisaro says that if the Marlins look to make any additions prior to this year's deadline, they will likely come in the form of bullpen arms. Florida's rotation has compiled a 3.65 ERA this season, but its bullpen ranks 11th in the NL at 4.46.
- More bad news for Indians fans from MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince: Grady Sizemore will undergo knee surgery that could potentially end his season.
- After being designated for assignment, Willis would like to play for a West Coast team, according to FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi. Morosi says the Diamondbacks are Willis' first choice.
- In a pair of tweets, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times discusses the Paul Konerko-to-the-Angels speculation we mentioned this morning.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post expects the Yankees to sign Cliff Lee after this season, and ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link) agrees. One AL exec tells Sherman that he has "no doubt" the Yanks will sign the left-hander.
- Within the same ESPN.com piece, Olney opines that the Tigers could be the most logical fit for Roy Oswalt. Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press would like to see the Tigers make a run at the Astros' ace, while Morosi (via Twitter) thinks Lee makes more sense for the Tigers.
- Scott Schoeneweis cleared waivers and is now a free agent, tweets Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox designated the lefty for assignment earlier this month.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer examines the challenge Chris Antonetti will face when he takes over as the Indians' GM after this season.
- Adeiny Hechavarria is making a strong first impression at Single-A Dunedin, according to the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott.
Tigers To Designate Dontrelle Willis For Assignment
The Tigers will designate Dontrelle Willis for assignment tomorrow, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The move will free up a roster spot for Max Scherzer, who is being called up to start tomorrow's game.
Willis, still just 28, has been a disappointment since coming over from the Marlins prior to the 2008 season. Overall he posted a 6.86 ERA in 101 innings with the team, including a 4.98 ERA in 43.1 innings this year. He won just two games in a Tigers' uniform, missing time with everything from knee hyper-extension to forearm tightness to anxiety disorder.
The Tigers have ten days to trade, release, or waive the former Rookie of the Year, but are still on the hook for his $12MM salary this season.
Minor League Transactions
Matt Eddy of Baseball America has this week's listings of comings and goings in the minors, and here are a few of the notable names on the move…
- Reliever Andrew Brown was dealt from St. Louis to Washington for future considerations. Brown last pitched in the majors in 2008 with Oakland, and he has a 3.84 ERA in 73 appearances between 2006-08. This is the fifth time Brown has been traded in his 10 seasons of pro ball, but it's by far the most low-profile deal; he's been involved in past trades for Gary Sheffield, Kevin Kouzmanoff and has twice been included in deals for Milton Bradley.
- The Tigers released Phil Dumatrait, and Eddy passes on the news that the left-hander has already caught on with the Korean Baseball Organization's LG Twins. Dumatrait was Boston's first-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2000 amateur draft, and he posted a 7.06 ERA in 42 major league appearances with Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
- The Yankees have brought former prospect Rudy Guillen back into their system. Guillen briefly converted from the outfield to the mound in 2007, but then seemed to drop off of the radar for two seasons. Eddy reports that he is coming back as an outfielder once again.
- Eddy notes that catcher Carlos Maldonado, called up by the Nationals on Tuesday, could be in line for playing time as Stephen Strasburg's personal catcher given Washington's injury problems behind the plate and Maldonado's experience catching the superstar prospect at Triple-A. Maldonado last played in the majors in 2007 as a member of the Pirates. He has a .586 OPS in 50 major league plate appearances and a .689 OPS in 4097 minor league plate appearances.
Odds & Ends: Miner, Gorzelanny, Heyward, Twins
Links for Wednesday, as the lights go out at Wrigley Field…
- Tigers pitcher Zach Miner will undergo Tommy John surgery, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- The Tigers are better-known for developing power arms, but as Beck shows, the Tigers have successfully developed some position players, too.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Cubs don't appear to be involved in serious talks to trade Tom Gorzelanny, but wonders if clubs like the Tigers and Rangers could inquire if the lefty becomes available.
- You knew Jason Heyward was good, but Dave Cameron of FanGraphs puts the outfielder's amazing start in perspective, saying he's on his way to "one of the great rookie seasons of all time."
- Meanwhile, Cameron wonders if the Rays should deal B.J. Upton to a team looking to capitalize on talent. It would save the Rays money and improve their chances of keeping Carl Crawford around.
- One AL assistant GM told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he doesn't expect the Twins to trade for a reliever this summer.
- 2010 draft prospect and Arlington native Michael Choice tells Chris Cox of MLB.com that it would be "a dream come true" to play for the Rangers, who pick 15th this year. Jonathan Mayo, Frankie Piliere and Keith Law all predicted Choice would be selected before that in their most recent mock drafts.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Jeremy Bonderman
In December of 2006, Jeremy Bonderman was 24 years old, coming off the finest season of his career. He debuted at age 20 in '03, but put it all together in '06 by making 34 regular season starts and striking out 202. He added three postseason starts to his resume that year. Bonderman's extension bought out his final two arbitration years for $13MM, and a pair of free agent seasons at $12.5MM apiece.
Unfortunately, injuries set in for Bonderman after he signed the contract. He dealt with a blister and elbow pain in '07, and learned of thoracic outlet syndrome in '08. Shoulder soreness lingered into the '09 season, limiting him to 51.3 pro innings.
Bonderman came to Spring Training pain-free in 2010, and reclaimed a rotation spot when the Tigers traded Nate Robertson. With a 4.43 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 40.6 innings, it appears on the surface that Bonderman has regained his '06 form. There are notable differences though. Bonderman is throwing 89.4 mph on average this year, as compared to 93.3 in '06. He's throwing more fastballs and fewer sliders, and he's no longer a groundball pitcher. Manager Jim Leyland explained to MLB.com's Stephen Ellsesser: "He's not the overpowering guy he was. He's adjusting to the pitching style, throwing a split now." It should also be noted that Bonderman's stat line would look a lot worse had a rainout not wiped out a lousy start a few weeks ago.
The 2010 version of Bonderman is still getting it done, but potential free agent bidders will have the luxury of adding his next 20+ starts to the sample. Bonderman's age, 28, will be a number other free agents can't beat. He may be looking at a contract similar to Rich Harden's one-year, $7.5MM deal assuming teams remain intrigued by his upside but wary of his health.
The Growing Role Of Video For MLB Scouts
Scouts are hired because they have a knack for observing baseball players, not because they’re particularly tech-savvy.
“I’m not up to speed with all the new technology so to speak, so it’s pretty old-fashioned,” says David Chadd, amateur scouting director for the Detroit Tigers.
Chadd says he relies primarily on cell phones and computers to do his job, so he is comfortable with gadgets. That's a good thing, because another form of technology is becoming more important for him and other Tigers scouts.
“We’ll video as many kids as we can and we’ll actually use that video in the draft when we’re talking about players,” says Chadd, who operates one of three Tigers video cameras. “[Video scouting] certainly started to advance itself probably in the last three years.”
The Tigers are far from the only team using video. Clubs know that the footage they record provides them with more information about the amateur players they’re considering on draft day. Brad Grant, the amateur scouting director for the Cleveland Indians, uses a game card, stopwatch and radar gun, but that’s not all.
“I carry a video camera as well,” Grant says. “Video’s becoming a big part of it now as well.“
This year the Blue Jays hired three new video coordinators. They have always relied on scouting reports, medical reports and stats. That remains important to the Blue Jays, but they’re relying more on video to gather information. Andrew Tinnish, the Blue Jays’ amateur scouting director, says video can supplement a scout’s written or spoken report.
“I think our guys do a great job of painting a picture,” Tinnish says. “But it’s even better when you have film to look at [too].”
Video has its limitations, too. It can be a distraction for scouts, players can perform differently on different days and cameras don’t capture everything. But for Tinnish, having video footage of a prospect is better than nothing.
“It certainly isn’t the be all and end all, but it’s a piece of the puzzle,” he says.
Whether you use a game card, a smart phone or a camera, Chadd says the results are more important than the method for the Tigers.
“At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter, as long as we’re seeing and talking about the right players.”
Behind The Scenes Of The MLB Draft
What happens before your team announces its first-round pick
For many baseball fans, it’s just another day, but for MLB’s scouting corps, the amateur draft is a full-time job. Just ask Indians amateur scouting director Brad Grant what his staff did after last year’s draft.
“The focus turns immediately towards the 2010 draft,” Grant says. “We begin to scout right away.”
It’s not much different for the Indians’ AL Central rivals, the Tigers.
“For us it starts right after the draft of the previous year,” says David Chadd, the team’s amateur scouting director. “Preparation for the draft starts immediately after the previous draft.”
That means non-stop scouting for the Tigers. And the Indians watch more than 1000 amateur players per year and rank about 800 of them. Because they see so many players, major league teams have nation-wide scouting networks that are more complex than you might think.
“We’re kind of set up like a sales force,” Grant says. “Each area scout has a territory or region the same as a salesman would have. So for example our scout here in Ohio has Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky.”
The Indians’ Ohio scout is one of 15 the team has scattered across the U.S.. In addition to that group, four cross-checkers compare players from various regions and a national cross-checker sees players from across the country. Like the Indians, the Tigers have a conventional setup, with 16 area scouts, four regional cross-checkers and two national cross-checkers.
The regional scouts are the ones who first identify players with major league tools. And scouts rely on more than their eyes and ears to find the best players around.
“With an area scout it’s a car first off,” Grant says. “That’s his office, that’s where he is, that’s where he spends the majority of his time. The second thing is a BlackBerry.”
Grant makes notes on game cards and uses a stopwatch, radar gun and video camera. Chadd relies on computers and cell phones to keep up-to-date on the prospects the Tigers are watching.
Combine cameras and smart phones with traditional scouting gear like stopwatches and radar guns and you have the tools of the trade. Multiply that by twenty or so scouts watching players every week of the year and you have lots of information by June.
This year, on June 7th, the Indians pick fifth overall and Grant says the club is eyeing a few players particularly closely.
“We’ve been able to narrow it down and we’ve got multiple looks from multiple different scouts.”
The Tigers, who lost a pick to the Astros for signing Jose Valverde, don’t make their first selection until the supplementary round. Chadd has led the Tigers to power arms like Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner in recent years, but says the Tigers are not necessarily going to draft more high-upside pitchers this year.
“Players change. Talent level changes, but at the end of the day, we’re going to take the best player that we think is on the board at that time,” Chadd says.
But determining who’s best means watching hundreds of players and hearing from many different scouts.
“That’s the hardest part,” Chadd says.
He can take solace in the fact that the Indians don’t find it any easier to rank amateur players in time for the draft.
“You have so many different voices,” Grant says. “You have so many different pieces of information that you’re trying to balance and you’re trying to use to ultimately make the decision.”
It takes year-round scouting to make that choice. And once the Indians reach theirs, another non-stop process begins.
“You’re constantly evaluating [the draft]” Grant says. “We sit back as soon as the draft is over. We sit down, our GM, our assistant GM and just kind of walk through our process … and then we continue to evaluate it for the next three to four years.”
Odds & Ends: Scherzer, Lamb, LaRoche
Saturday night linkage..
- The Tigers announced tonight they've demoted Max Scherzer and Scott Sizemore to Triple A, with Armando Galarraga and Danny Worth getting the call. Both Scherzer and Edwin Jackson have disappointed since changing teams in December's big deal.
- Hank Blalock comes to Tampa Bay determined to be a more well-rounded player, according to MLB.com's Adam Berry and Bill Chastain.
- The Marlins could make a 40-man roster move soon to bring back Mike Lamb, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Lamb was designated for assignment last week and is currently in Triple A.
- Despite Adam LaRoche's successful 2009 stint in Atlanta (.325/.401/.557 in 57 games), the Braves didn't approach him about returning, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Alan Schwarz of the New York Times takes an in-depth look at the likely first overall pick in next month's draft, Bryce Harper.
- Nats manager Jim Riggleman says that the club will have to consider making a roster move with reliever Brian Bruney, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
- Mets pitcher Oliver Perez won't accept a demotion to Triple-A if asked, tweets David Lennon of Newsday. Perez has been bumped out of the starting rotation and placed in the bullpen.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes that Eric Byrnes and Morgan Ensberg are making the most of life-after-baseball.
- Brewers pitching prospect Jeremy Jeffress will have to wait a little bit longer to return to the mound once he is reinstated, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Jeffress, the 18th overall pick in the 2006 draft, has tested positive for a "drug of abuse" on three separate occasions.