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Brandon Wood

Pirates Notes: Clement, Wood, Sanchez

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If they continue at their current pace, the Pirates will win 69 games this year, a level they haven't reached since 2004.  That year, Oliver Perez posted a 2.98 ERA with 239 strikeouts, Jason Bay slugged .550, and Jose Mesa saved 43 games.  Today's Bucs links:

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has a feature on the Jeff Clement, one of few draft picks among the first dozen in 2005 who has yet to become at least a big league regular.  The Mariners nearly chose Troy Tulowitzki third overall instead of Clement, but GM Bill Bavasi apparently drafted for need.  Clement's agent Brodie Van Wagenen believes his client didn't get a legitimate opportunity with the Mariners.  Clement is trying to move forward as a first baseman for the Pirates, once he recovers from knee surgery.
  • Regarding recent low-risk pickup Brandon Wood, GM Neal Huntington told Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Our scouts still see the authority off the bat, they still see the raw power, they still see the impact.  Obviously the guy with this kind of pedigree, sometimes a change of scenery helps these guys. Our due diligence we did said it's a good person, it's a hard worker who needed a change of scenery."  Wood's Pirates debut will come tonight at third base, batting sixth against John Lannan and the Nationals.
  • Freddy Sanchez took his '09 trade from the Pirates to the Giants hard, he told Brink's colleague Dejan Kovacevic.  It didn't help that he wasn't able to contribute much to his new team due to knee and shoulder injuries.
  • Be sure to check out MLBTR's Pirates Facebook and Twitter pages and RSS feed.  For my look at the team's 2012 contract issues, click here.

Pirates Claim Brandon Wood

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The Pirates claimed shortstop Brandon Wood off waivers from the Angels, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Wood had been designated for assignment by the Halos late Tuesday, and the Pirates were first in line in the waiver order.

Wood

The former top prospect is now 26 years old, and in 494 big league plate appearances with the Angels he hasn't had success.  The Pirates present the perfect opportunity for redemption, as they're one of few teams that can give Wood regular at-bats at shortstop with some leeway for struggling.  The scouting report is three years old, but before the '08 season Baseball America said Wood had unexceptional range but could "handle shortstop just fine" defensively.  Though he's a shortstop by trade, Wood has played third base as well.  MLB.com's Lyle Spencer wrote recently, "It was fascinating to see how different he was when he was in the lineup at shortstop rather than at third."

The claim was a no-brainer for Pittsburgh, a team with few interesting players in the shortstop pipeline.  Ronny Cedeno is currently the starter, though the club sought upgrades all winter.  The Pirates were able to get Wood for nothing, after the Angels seemingly kept the asking price high on him for years.  The Pirates will have to open up a 40-man roster spot to accommodate Wood, and they've said they'll make the corresponding move this afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Brandon Wood Rumors: Pirates, Blue Jays

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26-year-old infielder Brandon Wood was designated for assignment late Tuesday by the Angels, and there is "zero chance of him clearing waivers," tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale.  He'd be a fit for many clubs at shortstop or third base, as I outlined here, but he's more likely to land with a club that can give him some leeway to struggle in the Majors.  Claims are due in by noon eastern time today, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The latest:

  • The Blue Jays "expressed interest in trading for Wood as recently as this offseason," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, so they could be interested now.
  • The Pirates will "almost surely" place a claim, tweets Dunlap.  They have first dibs, as 2010 records are used within the first 30 days of this season to determine waiver order.  The team's 40-man roster is currently full, so they'll either have to designate someone for assignment or put someone on the 60-day DL if they win a claim on Wood.  Keep in mind that claims might not come into play if a team simply trades for Wood.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter link) that his team discussed going after Wood, but demurred since Milwaukee has no spot for him.  I named the Brewers as one potential candidate for Wood yesterday.

Quick Hits: Braun, Lohse, Franklin, Wood

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Some news items as Matt Kemp is once again a walkoff hero for the Dodgers…

Quick Hits: Purke, Wood, Bonderman, Promotions

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On this date three years ago, the Blue Jays released Frank Thomas. He retired after a brief return engagment with the Athletics, hitting .301/.419/.555 in a career that should garner Hall of Fame consideration. Here's some links for the evening…

  • TCU left-hander Matt Purke is out indefinitely with a sore shoulder according to Stefan Stevenson of The Star-Telegram. He will be evaluated by Dr. James Andrews later this week. Purke, who was expected to be one of the top picks in this June's draft, spoke to MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith last month.
  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says (on Twitter) that the Diamondbacks don't have interest in, or room on the roster for Brandon Wood.
  • Jeremy Bonderman recently visited his former Tigers' teammates during their trip to Seattle, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. The right-hander told reporters that he feels "great," and that he plans to visit the Tigers in Detroit in a few weeks. That would seem to indicate he isn't close to signing with a team.
  • In a piece for ESPN Insider, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus breaks down some factors that are considered when a prospect is promoted to the big leagues or a higher minor league level.
  • ESPN The Magazine published a list of the highest paid athletes from 182 countries. A dozen MLB players make the list, but that comes nowhere close to the number of soccer players making big bucks.

AL West Notes: Felix, Leonys Martin, Brandon Wood

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The Rangers and Angels are currently tied for first place in the AL West, with 11-6 records.  The latest from the division:

Which Teams Could Use Brandon Wood?

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Brandon Wood seems like he's been an Angels prospect forever.  However, at this point he's 26 years old with 494 career big league plate appearances and a .168/.197/.259 line to his name.  The Halos designated him for assignment last night, and a trade or claim seems likely.

Wood

Since Wood is out of options, any team giving up a prospect of value for him will have to be able to keep him in the Majors rather than risk exposing him to waivers.  Wood can probably play an acceptable shortstop or third base.  This scouting report is three years old, but before the '08 season Baseball America said Wood had unexceptional range but could "handle shortstop just fine," and he was "solid if unspectacular at third base."  He's never played second base, but he might be passable there as well.

I'd like to see a non-contending team install Wood as the starting shortstop and just let him rip for 500 plate appearances.  That plan might be unfair to players who don't have the "advantage" of being out of options.  But the Pirates might as well try him over Ronny Cedeno.  The Mets could be a fit, if they're thinking of trading Jose Reyes in a few months.  Wood could man a middle infield position for the Astros, though they might consider themselves booked between Clint Barmes, Bill Hall, Angel Sanchez, and Jeff Keppinger.  Likewise, the Mariners aren't contenders but would have to do some shuffling to get Wood regular at-bats.

Since they sit atop the AL Central at the moment, I won't rule out the Indians and Royals as contenders.  But the Tribe might be able to get Wood some third base at-bats until they deem Lonnie Chisenhall ready.  Wood could also keep the seat warm at the hot corner for Royals prospect Mike Moustakas.

The Twins, Brewers, and Dodgers were regarded as preseason contenders, but haven't been spectacular in the early going.  All three clubs have question marks at shortstop, though Wood is certainly not a clear upgrade.  The Marlins are cobbling together a solution at third base, though it's actually going well overall.

In the end, I expect Wood to land with a non-contending team like the Pirates.  Like the Royals, the Bucs should still be thinking long-term even though they're technically in contention at the moment.  But even in a lower-pressure environment I'm not sure Wood will get regular playing time, given how far his stock has fallen. 

Angels Designate Brandon Wood For Assignment

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The Angels designated Brandon Wood for assignment to create roster space for Erick Aybar, who is coming off of the disabled list, according to Angels TV announcer Victor Rojas (on Twitter). After five years of disappointing performances in the majors, the Angels are finally ready to cut ties with the former first round pick, who is now out of options.

Wood followed up his poor 2010 season (.146/.174/.208 line) with a remarkably similar performance in 14 appearances this season (.154/.154/.231). The one-time top prospect will likely draw interest now that he's available; he has 161 minor league homers to his name, including 43 in 2005.

Wood’s Time With Angels Running Out?

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Eight years ago, Brandon Wood was a first-round pick (23rd overall) by the Angels. Five years ago, Baseball America dubbed him the third-best prospect in the game. He ranked 8th and 16th on that same list the following two seasons. Now, the 26-year-old Wood may be an organizational afterthought. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Wood's chances of making the Angels' roster are dim, barring a trade or release of fellow infielder Alberto Callaspo.

Wood hit just .146/.174/.208 last season through 243 plate appearances. He managed just six walks while striking out 71 times — more than 29% of his plate appearances.

Wood is now out of options, meaning he'd have to pass through waivers unclaimed for the Angels to re-assign him to the minor leagues. Despite his struggles, it's unlikely this would happen, as a rebuilding team (DiGiovanna speculates on Toronto, specifically) would give him a chance based on his track record as an elite prospect.

Despite a strong push over the past week in Spring Training (7-19 with 2 HR, a double, and a triple), Wood remains buried on the team's depth chart. Maicer Izturis and Callaspo are ahead of him at third base, Erick Aybar and Izturis are ahead at short, while the combination Kendrys Morales (who will open the year on the DL), Mark Trumbo, and Howie Kendrick are in front of him on the first base depth chart.

DiGiovanna speculates that a trade of Callaspo to a team in need of infield help, such as the Phillies, would create room for Wood to make the club. We heard last week though that the Phillies payroll is tapped out, and Callaspo is set to earn $2MM this season. A release of Callaspo's non-guaranteed contract would also create room. The Angels, however, would still be responsible for part of his salary and would be risking a somewhat known commodity for Wood's upside, which may never surface.

It seems likely that Wood's time as an Angel may be coming to a close, with either a trade or DFA coming in the near future, giving him a chance at a fresh start in a new organization.

Quick Hits: Chipper, Nix, Trout, Rockies

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Here's a potpourri of news items as we head into the weekend…

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