The Phillies have acquired right-hander Sam Coonrod from the Giants in exchange for pitching prospect Carson Ragsdale, according to ESPN.com’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan (Twitter link).
Originally a fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft, Coonrod debuted in the big leagues by posting a 3.58 ERA over 27 2/3 innings for the Giants in 2019, though advanced metrics weren’t impressed by his work. That fortune turned in 2020, as while Coonrod’s advanced numbers improved, his ERA ballooned to 9.82 in 14 2/3 frames. Overall, Coonrod has a 5.74 ERA, 18.9 K%, 7 K-BB%, and 5.05 SIERA over his brief Major League career.
Coonrod missed much of the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery but he returned from that long rehab with plenty of heat on his fastball, averaging 97.1 mph in the bigs. He was a regular starting pitcher in the minors prior to his surgery, but Coonrod could best be positioned to remain a relief pitcher for the foreseeable future.
While he may have been expendable for the Giants, the Phillies will surely take a live arm as they try to rebuild a bullpen that posted dreadful numbers in 2020. Newly-hired Phils pitching coach Caleb Cotham and bullpen coach Jim Gott will now be tasked with seeing if they can turn Coonrod’s velocity and excellent curveball spin into consistent results for the 28-year-old.
Ragsdale was Philadelphia’s fourth-round selection in the 2020 draft, so he has yet to begin his pro career. A product of the University Of South Florida, Ragsdale’s college career was interrupted by Tommy John surgery but he still posted a 3.75 ERA and a very impressive 33.6 K% over 50 1/3 NCAA innings, albeit with some control problems. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 30th-best prospect in the Phillies’ farm system, citing his promising fastball and curve but also noting that there is still a lot of uncertainty over Ragsdale’s potential as a starter due to the lack of games in the abbreviated 2020 NCAA season.
seems a little pricy, but whatever. optionable and I wasnt too high on Ragsdale anyway.
Coonrod had a great year in 2019. This is a good trade for the Phillies to address the problem in the bullpen. They are going in the right direction with Coonrod, Alvarado, but they to continue to add bullpen arms.
It’s nothing flashy,but I like that Dombrowski seems to be prioritizing high velocity.Thats definitely something the Phillies lacked under MacPhail/Klentak.
Why would the Giants trade this guy? Wasn’t he an outspoken critic of the kneeling last year. Makes me wonder. The dude has great stuff imo
A 4th rd pick from 2020 draft for a fringe bullpen guy, nice trade for giants
@SamCoonrod will be the first MLBer banned from Twitter, just watch.
The Giants basically just got a free fourth round lottery pick for a bad AAA player.
How did the Giants manage to get a 4th round pick for a 28-year-old who has an ERA and FIP over 5 in the majors and an ERA nearing 7 at Tripe-A?
because Ragsdale was an underslot guy. he woudlnt have gone in the 4th in a normal year.
The fact that he was ranked in the top 200 draft prospects by MLB Pipeline and was traded for a bad relief pitcher is still a great trade on the Giants end.
he was ranked 169th and went 116th. underslot.
He could have been drafted in the 8th round and I still think this would have been a great trade for the Giants. Ranked as a top 200 draft prospect for a reliever who struggles with control so much he had an ERA nearing 7 is a pretty decent deal. Overslot/underslot doesn’t make this deal bad.
Coonrod is terrible, the Phillies are just desperate. Zaidi likes to trade with desperate teams, see the Pomeranz for Dubon trade of last year.
@Baseball 1600, I don’t think the Pom / Dubon trade is a good example of either team being desperate. Both teams got what they needed. Dubon has control and can play multiple positions and Pomeranz was very good for Milwaukee to get them to the playoffs.
Terrible example. Pomeranz has been elite out of the pen. Dubon is an average hitter at best who’s ceiling is a utility player. Pomeranz would have been a major weapon against the Dodgers in the NLDS if Hader and Grisham didn’t collapse in the wild card game.
The guy throws 100 with movement he just doesn’t always know where it is going
Cooney has triple digit heat but he hit Greg Garcia in the head last September leading to potential reprisals from San Diego. Being the only team member that did not kneel the first game back from George Floyd’s killing didn’t help, but if this dude can harness his fastball he could be very good. He has good secondary pitches. Bottom line, the G’s 40 man is full and they needed the roster spot, meaning a major league signing is likely imminent.
yeah, i mean, the last part was probably the biggest reason for this move.
I don’t understand this move from the Phillies perspective. Unless I’m missing something the Giants got a much better return.
I think the Phillies have something big up their sleeve coming ..calm before the storm
Hmm. That would be great, but I don’t know.
VonPurple:
I think the Phillies feel like they need immediate help. Ragsdale is a couple years away, while Coonrod will be in the pen this season. I also think they Giants took advantage of that situation.
I agree with these points, but Coonrod doesn’t look like he’ll help all that much. His numbers last year leave much to be desired.
I’d love to learn about the origins of these surnames! They have a real 70’s baseball card vibe! I picture both of them as burly giants with mutton chop sideburns lol
I don’t understand the Phillies thinking in this one
Would have taken a sack for potatoes for coonrod. Good luck with him!
I am sure Andrew McCutchen is thrilled
Phils need bullpen help, but I’m not sure how much help this actually is, plus they gave away a decent prospect to boot
Interesting texture.
“Redskins” is considered offensive… “Coonrod”?
Al Sharpton holding for you online 1.
Brady Klopfer is beating off reading this right now.
Coonrod is at best another Hunter Strickland. He might give you flashes of dominance because of his stuff, but when put into the closer role he absolutely crumbled and it seems like he was unpopular in the locker room. Imo this was unnecessary for the Phillies, could’ve probably signed guys on minor league deals that would’ve been better
I’m so glad to see that moron off of the giants, sorry Phillies hes your problem now
This is a good pickup for the Phillies. Coonrod didn’t not have a good year in 2020 but the guy does have potential and a high ceiling
SIU SIU SIU!!!
Worst name in baseball current titleholder.
Originally a fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft, Coonrod debuted in the big leagues by posting a 3.58 ERA over 27 2/3 innings for the Giants in 2019, though advanced metrics weren’t impressed by his work. That fortune turned in 2020, as while Coonrod’s advanced numbers improved, his ERA ballooned to 9.82 in 14 2/3 frames. Overall, Coonrod has a 5.74 ERA, 18.9 K%, 7 K-BB%, and 5.05 SIERA over his brief Major League career.
I’m a little surprised that baseball hasn’t evolved to use advanced metrics to determine the outcomes of games instead of the age old score. They clearly need to modernize.
I didn’t realize Coonrod’s ERA was so high last year. He has an electric arm and the potential to close. I think this will work out for both teams but Phillies will see the benefits first.
Oh wonderful. A low character reclamation project.
Precisely what this team needs.
unless his character is detrimental to the team then the character thing really shouldnt matter to those building the team, and if that was the case he probably would have been jettisoned by the Giants long ago.
Is Schilling in the Hall of Fame yet? Apparently, character matters. A lot. Whether you agree or not doesn’t really matter. It’s not your game. Someone else gets to decide. So Schilling is not in the Hall of Fame. And it’s because of character. Whether or not I agree is inconsequential. Character matters. Obviously. I’m not saying that it’s right or wrong. Just that it matters. Our opinions are meaningless.
the character clause for the Hall of Fame doesnt suggest the player’s character was nessicarily harmful on the field. (though it could) im not saying character doesnt matter, or that who you employ doesnt matter regardless, but im questioning if his character is harmful to the team, which is hardly proven. personally, i dont think teammates caring about the knee thing is valid. obviously you could just take a knee to show solidarity with teammates, but its about an issue that’s bigger then just the team.
Not taking a knee against America does not equal “low character”
no one was “taking a knee against America” and no one with any sense thinks that.
Either way the man has every right to stand. That doesn’t make him “low character”.
i agree with you. And I actually think Coonrod justified his stance as delicately and politely as he could given the circumstances. It was (and continues to be) a very charged and sensitive situation.
He not only didn’t kneel, but he didn’t kneel when BLM was being represented, most teammates stood up after for the National Anthem. All players on both teams recognized the importance of togetherness on an issue that really affects some of their teammates. Coonrod even refused to even hold the ribbon. Can’t say that plays well in the clubhouse. Plus he was awful last season, so there’s that. No surprise he was moved even with a 97 mph heater.
He refused to kneel because he said his religion precluded him from supporting BLM because people that support it are all communists
@kreckert
Oh so you know Sam Coonrod, you’ve actually met him to know about his “character”.
It’s amazing that people such as you make ill formed opinions on people you’ve never met.
Guess they don’t like his spin rate
Great move Giants. Addition by subtraction
Plenty of other available arms for Phillies to sign. I figured they would try and fix their historically bad bullpen. Plenty of time left but they gotta do better than this. It’s January and they still haven’t re-signed Realmuto?
it was more then a few guys that were an issue, it was the whole pen. options are huge in cycling pen arms, and you’re unlikely to get options with a FA. if they make a few serious signings then this is down the list of offseason BP moves which is fine.
This isn’t the Phillies of the last few years. They won’t be competing (or attempting to compete) in 2021. It’s a retooling year with the hopes of spending again in 2022. Sucks, but this is the way it’s going. Even Realmuto doesn’t make the Phils a playoff team. So many holes that and they don’t seem willing to spend this year.
plenty of the offseason left and plenty of other teams less willing to spend. i think there are deals to be had that can make a Wild Card spot a very realistic possibility.
Darkside:
Not being a Phillies fan and living on the opposite coast, I don’t see many Phillies games. But statistically, it appears the pen wasn’t that bad. It looks like what they needed was a dependable closer.
They were 29th in SV%, and tied for the most blown saves with the LAA. On the other hand they were league average, 32%, at preventing inherited runners from scoring. By comparison the NYYs allowed 37% to score, Oak 34%, Atl and Mia, 33%, and Hou tied with Phi at 32%. All of those being playoff teams.
It seems to me that indicates some level of effectiveness.
@tad I can assure you the prn was not only the worst in baseball last season, it was one of the worst in history.
no, it was bad. historically bad.
VonPurple and Darkside:
I was hoping either of you would post some stats to show the error of my assumptions, and put their inept conclusions into context. But just saying they’re bad is not enough for me. Statistically they weren’t even the worst relief corps in baseball in 2020, let alone historically bad,
As I indicated in a previous post, my perception of Trevor Gott, being the worst pitcher in the Giants pen in 2020, at least for blowing saves, was incorrect. I realized I was wrong I when I looked at the facts. I’m sure the Phillies pen was bad, but think maybe your perception may have exaggerated just how bad they really were.
Not only were they league average in preventing inherited runners from scoring, they were also league average in holds. They were bad in losses by relievers, though hardly the worse. but conversely they gave their closers the 8th most save opportunities, which the closers blew at a high rate.
Again, it appears the performance of the relievers was, at least mediocre, until it got late into the game. The high number of blown saves, indicates the pen was not bad as a whole, only the closers were. Those 25 save opportunities, tied for 8th best with the WS winning Dodgers, were not all delivered by the starters. 14 blown saves, the worst in baseball, in 25 opportunities, says it’s the closers, not the middle, or long relievers..
Also, one thing I noticed after posting, was their fairly large number of losses in relief, 14, was exactly that of the number of blown saves. There is no way they could have been historically bad when the long and middle relief was apparently so effective.
Statistically it was the 3rd worst pen in history.
section215.com/2020/08/10/philadelphia-phillies-bu…
Actually this is the wrong article. They finished worse than this. I have no idea where your getting the idea that the long and middle relief was good. I’ll find complete stats for you.
*you’re
Great move Giants. Addition by subtraction. No relief from him.
As a Giants fan I am happy to see Coonrod go. The Giants were tied for 22nd in SV% last season. 11 blown saves were the main reason they did not make the PS. Coonrod blew 2 saves in his 5 opportunities, which is just slightly better at 60% than the team. Getting a reasonable prospect back is just icing on the cake.
Now if Zaidi can trade away Trevor Gott I’ll be happier still.
If got can put it together he is more of a deadline guy, he got just over the minimum for his tender so if he is halfway decent he’ll be attractive in a swap
Wolf Chan:
Yeah, you may be right. In my mind Gott was the biggest offender in blowing games I had every reason to believe the Giants would win. It seemed to me Gott must have blown 5 or 6 saves.
But looking at the stats, I see Coonrod was worse, although not by much. Gott had one more save, in one additional opportunity, and like Coonrod, he blew 2.
I’m extremely happy as a giants fan to get that cancer coonrod off of the team.
Good riddance! Racist piece of s#it
@tonightsspecialguest
I’d say you’re the “racist”. Not wanting to take a knee because you believe in standing for the anthem of the formerly USA is not ‘racist’, yet it is ill informed people like you that assert that lie. You’re the problem, “racist”. Sam Coonrod has done nothing “racist” whatsoever.
His comments on BLM have been pretty freaking racist.
If you think kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful, you probably cheered the domestic terrorism that occurred on the 6th.
@champion1701
BLM is a racist organisation in its name itself. Coonrod doesn’t have to kneel for you or any other fascist political Marxist leftist organisation such as BLM.
Let’s see who continues to kneel now-pathetic.
People that consider BLM a terrorist organization but don’t consider those that stormed the Capitol as “terrorists” are simply showing their white privilege.
Based on the definition of racism, “prescribing a prejudice on someone based solely on their skin color,” the term “white privilege” is racist.
@Baseball1600 There’s no such thing as “white privilege”. All people have the same laws applied to them. BLM are a terrorist racist organisation. Their name is racist on its own by definition..
Fred..you of all people shouldn’t be missing the point of BLM xD
The point of the movement and how they acted + what they said/wrote on their website didn’t equate to the same. It’s a victim mentality that is apparently “cool.”
“The Giants said Coonrod’s political views had nothing to do with Saturday’s deal that sent the 28-year-old to Philadelphia in exchange for righty prospect Carson Ragsdale. Coonrod briefly became a national, polarizing figure after he declined to kneel with the rest of the Giants and Dodgers on Opening Night last season, during a Black Lives Matter moment of unity.“
Yeah! Right! Not political! Just like Zaidi and Kaplan aren’t liberals.
Gabe Kaplan is a total right wing plant sent to teach kids in the 70s how to be good little racists
Coonrod is just as bad as Hunter Strickland. Good move dumping him.
I wonder if the comments will remain open by the end of the night…
DD tearing down the farm…
Phil’s must really like this guy to trade away a fairly high drafted prospect.
30th ranked in a bad system. i dont think you can make that much of 50.1 college innings. maybe a good get, maybe becomes absolutly nothing. i dont think DD makes this trade if he thinks the guy is some superstar in the making though.
Getting Philadelphia’s 30th best prospect for Coonrod plus freeing up a roster spot was a big win for the Giants.
You obviously pay no attention to the Phillies’ drafting issues.
“Dixie Normous” or “Coonrod”.
Obviously, the former is Bryan Colangelo’s burner commenting account and the latter is Bryan Colangelo’s burner human identity. So much here to reveal and discuss.
Yet the talk here turned to Hitler.
The biggest issue driving this was politics. The irony is that the majority owner of the Giants (Franklin) is one of the most conservative owners in baseball. Even though they keep him well screened, he still does things that make the news. Coonrod will have a good career and the player the Giants traded from has great potential. However, do not to deceive yourself into thinking this wasn’t a politics move.
I give this move a 10 (era)