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Archives for April 2014

Angels Designate Michael Roth For Assignment

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The Angels have designated lefty Michael Roth for assignment, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. The move clears space on the Angels’ 40-man roster for Mike Morin.

The Angels drafted the 24-year-old Roth in the ninth round in 2012 and promoted him to the Majors remarkably quickly, sending him to the bigs in 2013 even though he was arguably underprepared for the assignment and had a below-average fastball. Perhaps predictably, Roth struggled, posting a 7.20 ERA with 17 strikeouts and six walks in 20 innings. He continued to struggle in 2014, with a 5.48 ERA, 4.2 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings in the starting rotation at Double-A Arkansas.

Clay Hensley Retires

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Pitcher Clay Hensley has retired, James Larken Smith of KFFE tweets. Hensley, 34, pitched in 2013 for Triple-A Nashville (Brewers) and Louisville (Reds), and for the Sugar Land Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League.

Hensley pitched parts of seven seasons in the big leagues, appearing with the Padres, Marlins and Giants with a 4.00 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 over 571 innings. 187 of those came with the Padres in 2006, when he had a solid first full season in a big-league rotation. He mostly appeared as a reliever after that, with his best season out of the bullpen coming with the 2010 Marlins, when he posted a 2.16 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 75 innings.

Rockies Notes: Fowler Trade, Nicasio, Pitching Staff

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Today, the Rockies are trying to avoid the fate of being on the losing end of the Dodgers’ 10,000th victory in their storied franchise history (per Elias Sports Bureau via MLB.com). The Rockies already have the distinction of being the Cubs’ 10,000th victim six years ago.

Here’s the latest on the Mile High City’s team from Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post:

  • The Rockies have reaped unexpected benefits from the Dexter Fowler trade thanks to the strong play of Jordan Lyles and Brandon Barnes (both acquired from the Astros), Justin Morneau (signed as a free agent using the salary allocated for Fowler), and Charlie Blackmon (who assumed Fowler’s leadoff spot in the lineup).
  • The Rockies are at a crossroads with Juan Nicasio, whose ERA has risen to 5.27 (with a 10.9 H/9 and 1.6 HR/9 rate) as he has failed to pitch beyond the sixth inning in his past four starts. Saunders opines Nicasio could be bumped from the rotation when Jhoulys Chacin completes his rehab assignment, but there has not been much talk of moving him to the bullpen lately.
  • The Rockies’ philosophy of utilizing the sinkerball has led to an improvement in the overall performance of the club’s pitching staff.

AL Notes: Cano, Tigers, A’s, Baker

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Robinson Cano will be making his first trip to the Bronx since signing his ten-year, $240MM contract when the Mariners open a series against the Yankees on Tuesday. Cano explained the differences between Seattle and New York to Newsday’s Anthony Rieber. “Here it’s more relaxed. It’s not as intense as New York,” Cano said. “In New York, when the game is over, everyone is looking at what’s wrong. Here we don’t have that.” Cano is hopeful there won’t be many Bronx cheers from the Yankee faithful upon his return. “They understand that this is a business and I don’t have anything against the fans, the team, anybody. I can tell you I’m excited to go back and be able to see guys that I played with for a long time. Be able to see [Derek] Jeter play in his last year. Just looking forward to going back.” 

In other news and notes from the American League:

  • The Tigers may start to see additional dividends from the Doug Fister trade, reports Chris Iott of mlive.com. Left-hander Robbie Ray, acquired from the Nationals in that December deal, is a leading candidate to replace the injured Anibal Sanchez in the rotation. Ray has posted a 1.93 ERA, 6.2 K/9, and 1.9 BB/9 in his four starts for Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers have yet to decide who will fill in for Sanchez; but, if Ray is their choice, they will need to create roster space since the 22-year-old isn’t on the 40-man roster.  
  • The A’s bullpen has had mixed result this season and the coaching staff is trying to navigate the fine line between a closer-by-committee and the comfort provided by having well-defined roles, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser.
  • The Twins were called this weekend about the prospects of signing right-hander Scott Baker, but have no interest, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com. Baker is currently pitching for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate (2.77 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9 in 26 innings covering four starts), but has a May 1st opt-out date.

Quick Hits: Drew, Orioles, Samardzija, Rockies

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No one is crying for Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales, who turned down $14.1MM and remain unemployed, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post thinks its unfortunate that they have been subjected to the qualifying offer system.  In Sherman’s view, players already have too little control over their careers.  On top of that, accepting a one-year, $14.1MM deal isn’t as much of a slam dunk as it seems.  If a player doesn’t like where he is playing, or get along with his manager, or finds that the home ballpark is problematic to his game, he should have the opportunity to scope out the open market and look elsewhere without being hindered by the tag.  Here’s more from around baseball..

  • Will the Orioles go out-of-house for a first baseman?  Manager Buck Showalter doesn’t seem to think such a move is imminent.  “There are other people, but nobody yet that we like better than the options we have in-house, yet,” said the skipper, according to Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com (on Twitter).
  • Brewers pitcher Matt Garza offered up some advice for former teammate Jeff Samardzija, who is expected to be shopped by the Cubs this summer. “All I can tell him is keep pitching; pitch your way out of it,” said Garza, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Keep your eyes focused, your eyes straight ahead and just pitch. There’s nothing else you can do.”
  • The Dexter Fowler trade is reaping early rewards for the Rockies, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.  Many wondered how the Rockies would replace Fowler’s leadoff bat and outfield glove, but Jordan Lyles’ early pitching and Brandon Barnes’ high-energy have made Colorado look wise so far.  On top of that, the salary savings from moving Fowler to the Astros allowed the Rockies to sign Justin Morneau, who has also looked strong through the season’s opening month.
  • Months after he agreed to a four-year, $60MM deal, Curtis Granderson and the Mets finally started to find some magic together this week, writes Barry Federovitch of the Star-Ledger.

Jeong Choi Aims To Play In MLB Next Year

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Jeong Choi, the top third baseman in Korea and a former Korean Series MVP, is looking to make the leap to Major League Baseball next season, agent Melvin Roman tells Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The athletic 27-year-old is considered a five-tool player and enjoyed the best season of his career in 2013.

Choi has hit .300 and posted an OPS over .900 each of the past four seasons playing for SK Wyverns while averaging more than 23 home runs.  Last season, he slashed .316/.429/.551 and belted 28 home runs, putting him amongst the offensive elite in the KBO.  Choi also demonstrated his speed, swiping 24 bases.

Last winter’s third base free agent market was rather thin, but 2015’s figures to have several big names as Chase Headley, Aramis Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval could hit the open market.  The addition of Choi could add even more depth and Heyman cites the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Red Sox, and possibly the Giants and Padres depending on what happens with Sandoval and Headley, that could be shopping at that position.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Rockies, Towers, Quentin

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The Red Sox were praised for their approach last offseason, but the Yankees’ method can work too, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  However, just like last year’s Red Sox, the Yankees will have to get unexpected performances.  The Red Sox got surprise contributions from Daniel Nava, Mike Carp, who was acquired for cash from the Mariners, and another from left-handed reliever Craig Breslow.   Yangervis Solarte is giving the Yankees that sort of performance so far and they’ll need more to stay strong throughout the year.  More from today’s column..

  • The Rockies are watching the Red Sox’ Double and Triple-A teams very closely.  Even though the Rockies are off to a good start and assistant GM Mike Hazen tells the Sox have not heard from Colorado about a trade, Cafardo says it’s something to keep an eye on down the road.   The Red Sox’ outfield started sluggishly and the Rockies have a surplus of outfielders, but at this time nothing like that has been discussed.
  • Any talk of Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers being in trouble likely isn’t accurate since he’s been the victim of bad luck more than anything.   “If Kevin Towers got fired over injuries to key personnel we’d all be in trouble,” one National League GM said.  Arizona has lost major additions in right-handed starter Bronson Arroyo (back) and outfielder Mark Trumbo (foot) as well as ace Patrick Corbin (elbow).
  • Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin, who has yet to play this season, will soon begin extended spring training after rehabbing his knee. He could be a trade candidate if he’s healthy since he’s owed $9.5MM this season and $8MM in 2015, which isn’t prohibitive.
  • There’s a lot of sentiment for asking Bud Selig to stay on for at least another year as baseball commissioner, until the owners can truly find a new leader.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gibbons, D’Backs, Chavez

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On this date in 2004, at Dodger Stadium, Mike Piazza tied Carlton Fisk for the most career homers by a catcher with dinger No. 351 as a backstop. The homer, which was his 362nd overall, moved him past Joe DiMaggio on the all-time list.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

Poll: Which Team Had The Best 2002 Draft?

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B.J. Upton, the No. 2 overall pick by the Devil Rays in the 2002 draft, collected his 1,000th MLB hit on Saturday on a ground ball against Mike Leake and the Reds. But while Upton has had a long and lucrative MLB career, he hasn’t reached the heights of other players drafted later that year.

The Devil Rays did fare better than other teams drafting in the top five in ’02. The Pirates took Ball State righty Bryan Bullington with the first overall pick, and Bullington turned out to be a journeyman. Third, fourth and fifth overall picks Chris Gruler (Reds), Adam Loewen (Orioles) and Clint Everts (Expos) didn’t turn out much better.

Where that draft really got interesting was with the sixth pick, where the Royals took Zack Greinke. One pick later, the Brewers grabbed Prince Fielder. Later in the first round went Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, Cole Hamels and Matt Cain. Joey Votto, Jon Lester and Brian McCann went in the second round; Curtis Granderson headed to the Tigers in the third, and Josh Johnson went to the Marlins in the fourth. Howie Kendrick and Russell Martin went in the late rounds.

We’re nearly 12 years removed from that draft now, and most of the top players involved are now in their late primes. Some have moved on to other teams. So which team fared the best? Here are some possibilities, but feel free to peruse Baseball Reference’s draft database on your own.

Angels. The Angels got solid value from Joe Saunders at No. 12 overall, then scored with Kendrick in the tenth round.

Athletics. The A’s got several good players in their famed “Moneyball” draft, although this was partially, or perhaps even primarily, a function of opportunity — they had seven of the first 39 picks. Swisher (24.1 bWAR) and Joe Blanton (8.8 bWAR) turned out well, but other members of Oakland’s unconventional draft class (including John McCurdy, Ben Fritz, and Jeremy Brown, all selected in the first round) didn’t. The A’s signed Jared Burton in the late rounds, although they lost him in the Rule 5 Draft in 2006. They also picked Brad Ziegler and Jonathan Papelbon, but didn’t sign either of them.

Braves. First-round pick Jeff Francoeur spent most of his best years with the Braves, finishing third in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2005. Supplemental pick Dan Meyer was a key part of the Tim Hudson trade with the Athletics. Second-rounder Brian McCann became a superstar behind the plate. And third-rounder Charlie Morton helped the Braves land Nate McLouth, before becoming a sinker-balling mainstay in the Pirates’ rotation.

Brewers. The Brewers only managed to get much from Fielder (23.1 bWAR). They would have had a better case here if they hadn’t released late-round picks Tom Wilhelmsen and Craig Breslow before they went on to productive careers elsewhere, or if they’d signed 40th-rounder Hunter Pence.

Dodgers. The Dodgers got great value throughout the draft, taking James Loney in the first round, and then Martin, Jonathan Broxton, James McDonald, and Eric Stults later on. Martin accumulated 15.9 bWAR in his five seasons in Los Angeles, then continued his fine career in New York and Pittsburgh.

Giants. First-rounder Matt Cain was a huge hit, and the Giants also got reasonable value from second-rounder Fred Lewis and fourth-rounder Kevin Correia. Eighth-rounder Clay Hensley helped them land reliever Matt Herges. And unlike some teams on this list, the Giants didn’t have a mess of compensation picks, selecting just once in each round.

Phillies. Philadelphia got Hamels and little else, but in terms of WAR value, they did very well in this draft. This wasn’t an unfamiliar pattern for the Phillies, who two years later had taken Chase Utley with their first pick in a draft that otherwise turned up very little for them. When drafting, quality is far more important than quantity, and the Phillies rode their quantity-light but quality-heavy drafts to a World Series title in 2008.

Reds. Gruler was a huge miss at third overall, but the Reds more than made up for that by snagging Votto (34.7 bWAR) 44th overall. They only got two big-leaguers in ’02, but the other one, Chris Denorfia (19th round) also turned out to be a solid contributor. The Reds, however, didn’t reap the benefits, shipping Denorfia to the A’s for Marcus McBeth and a minor-leaguer in 2007.

Red Sox. Boston didn’t pick until No. 57 overall, but took Lester, one of the best pitchers in the draft, when their turn came. They also took Brandon Moss, who they sent to Pittsburgh in the Manny Ramirez / Jason Bay swap in 2008.

Royals. Like the Phillies, the Royals got little in the late rounds. But Greinke was a big hit, and he continues to pay dividends years after being traded — they still have Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar left over from that deal, and Jake Odorizzi helped them land James Shields (albeit in a trade that is controversial for reasons that have little to do with Odorizzi).

Tigers. First-rounder Scott Moore and second-rounder Brent Clevlen didn’t pan out, but the Tigers got Granderson in the third round and Joel Zumaya in the 11th.

Injury Notes: Davis, Segura, Braun

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Orioles slugger Chris Davis is headed to the disabled list with a strained oblique, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Davis had an MRI on Saturday. Davis was off to a relatively slow .250/.372/.382 start in 94 plate appearances this season. Third baseman Manny Machado (knee) has begun a rehab assignment at Class A+ Frederick and should soon make his 2014 season debut, which ought to dull Orioles’ fans pain somewhat. Here are a couple more quick notes on injuries.

  • Brewers shortstop Jean Segura required plastic surgery after Ryan Braun inadvertently struck Segura with his bat. But Segura was not concussed and did not have a fracture, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel tweets.
  • Braun himself later left the Brewers’ game against the Cubs with an intercostal strain, Andrew Gruman of FOX Sports Wisconsin tweets. Braun is day-to-day, and as ugly a day as it was for him, it sounds like both he and Segura will be fine.

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