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| Recent Blog Post: Interesting Spring Performances, Part One: The NL |
| As spring training ambles nonchalantly towards the finish line, it's always fun to take a look at spring stats to see who really jumps off the page and might be making some kind of statement or other.
Now this being spring training, caveats abound. The sample sizes are tiny. The quality of competition, defense and field conditions are erratic at best. More often than not pitchers aren't particularly trying to get anybody out. And did I mention the sample sizes are tiny? But even with all that, it's human nature to try and tease some kind of signal out of all that noise, so what the hell. If a club has an opening, or a plausible path to an opening, then a big spring can allow an otherwise unheralded player to seize a role. And every once in a blue moon some guy comes along and puts up ridiculous numbers and turns out to be Albert Pujols and not all the other guys who put up ridiculous spring training numbers in 2001.
Since there are 15 players in each league now, I've sifted through and listed 30 interesting players (15 AL, 15 NL) who did interesting things this spring. Note that I said 'interesting'. Clayton Kershaw striking out a lot of guys is not interesting, it's expected. And fascist (contractually required Bull Durham joke - check). Mark DeRosa is not interesting as a fantasy player no matter how well he's hitting, although I'm sure that doesn't reflect on him as a person. Also note that I didn't pick one player per team, because some clubs had excruciatingly boring spring trainings (coughCubscough).
Here's the NL crew:
Adam Eaton, Ari: Poor, poor Adam Eaton. He goes out and hits .390/.403/.542, becomes everybody's trendy darling, shoots up draft boards and then hurts his elbow to sideline him for at least the first month of the season. For the record, though, there were indications he wasn't going to set the world on fire even if he hadn't gotten hurt. One walk in 59 spring at-bats isn't exactly leadoff material, nor is three steals in seven tries. If you were hell-bent on landing him, the injury might be a blessing in disguise.
Evan Gattis, Atl: If you don't know who Evan Gattis is, he's basically the Kwai Chang Caine of baseball. He gave up a college scholarship to try and get his head straight, went to junior college and injured his knee, then quit the game and wandered the west trying to find himself and probably solving crimes or something. He finally picked up a bat again in 2010 and this time it stuck, and he got drafted by the Braves and tore it up in the minors last year. He's still tearing it up, hitting .388/.404/.796 this spring, and with Brian McCann starting the season the shelf he might win a bench spot as a backup catcher and utility masher (a role that might become more common in the NL now that interleague play is scattered all across the schedule). Yeah, the zero walks and 13 K's aren't good, but if you aren't rooting for him to make the club (and/or his life story to become a Ryan Gosling vehicle) then you just have no soul at all, no sirree.
Julio Teheran, Atl: 35 strikeouts against nine walks in 26 spring innings. That, folks, is how you force your way into a major league rotation. Teheran was the Braves' best pitching prospect headed into last year but had a bumpy ride which, after the fact, got attributed to mechanical issues which he's since cleared up. He's done nothing this spring to prove that theory wrong, and with a spot open thanks to Brandon Beachy's Tommy John surgery Teheran has stepped up big-time. He might falter again of course, but he also might win Rookie of the Year.
Devin Mesoraco, Cin: Ah, the life of a youngster under the baleful eye of Dusty Baker. Mesoraco got his first crack at the majors last year and struggled, but he struggled in his first look at Triple-A in 2010 as well and that turned out pretty well the following year. His .406/.472/.688 line this spring, as well as a strong 2:3 BB:K ratio in 32 at-bats, hints that 2013 might turn out pretty well too, except that the Reds went out and got Miguel Olivo to caddy for the reliably vanilla Ryan Hanigan in case Dusty decides he don't trust no damn kids behind the damn plate. Mesoraco should probably still beat out Olivo for a roster spot but unless he hits like Johnny Bench right out of the gate (or, better, wears a Bench retro jersey to try and fool Dusty) playing time could be hard to come by. Still, as an upside play in deep two-catchers leagues, he's probably one of your best bets.
Rex Brothers, Col: His name makes him sound like the chief surgeon on a hospital-themed soap opera ("Rex, I'm having your baby!"), but he's actually a former first round pick and the duly annointed Rockies Closer of the Future. Rafael Betancourt is their Closer of the Right This Second, but hands up anyone who thinks a) Betancourt will stay healthy all year, b) Betancourt will stay effective all year, and c) Betancourt won't get dealt for something vaguely prospect-like at the deadline if the a) and b) parlays come through. Brothers' 11:2 K:BB ratio in seven spring innings (to go along with a 0.00 ERA and just five hits and two walks allowed) just reinforce that he's ready for the job, and really the only thing that might stop him from getting the closer gig in Betancourt's absence is that the Rockies might try Matt Belisle instead.
Yasiel Puig, LA: Suddenly Yoenis Cespedes doesn't look so special, does he? The 21-year-old Puig fled Cuba, signed a big deal with the Dodgers, didn't look out of place in High-A at the end of last year and was assumed to be ticketed for Double-A this season. Then he goes out and hits .527/.509/.855 in his first spring training, and the Dodgers secretly start hoping maybe Carl Crawford doesn't recover so quick after all. Alas, Crawford's elbow looks like he'll be fine for Opening Day, and with three pricey, veteran outfielders on the roster El Naturale will probably have to bide his time in the minors before getting a chance to show what he's really made of. That OBP is no typo, by the way. Puig's got a 0:10 BB:K ratio in 55 spring at-bats, which is fine when you're putting up video game numbers every time you swing the bat but might be a bit of a problem over the long haul. Then again his plate discipline wasn't an issue in the minors last year, so maybe this is more a case of a player seeing beachballs than something Puig needs to work on a lot.
A.J. Ramos, Mia: Steve Cishek is the closer for the Marlins and has been plenty effective the last couple of years, but in Miami being effective just paints a big trade bullseye on your back. Ramos is actually a year older than Cishek but is just now getting to the majors after striking out everything in sight the last couple of years at High-A and Double-A. His 11:0 K:BB ratio in eight spring innings is more of the same, and if Cishek for whatever reason ends up out of the saves picture then Ramos seems like the kind of high octane arm to become the Marlins' next tradable asset. Umm, I mean closer.
Christian Yelich, Mia: While the Marlins sort out a bunch of fringy riff-raff to man their non-Stanton outfield spots, their top hitting prospect scorched the spring to the tune of .364/.451/.818 and an impressive 6:7 BB:K ratio. Another organization worried about quaint, antiquated notions like fan loyalty and winning ballgames might think about giving Yelich a job this April, but since he was only in High-A last year the club will send him to Double-A and wait long enough before calling him up to save a year on his arbitration clock. Assuming they don't just wait until mid-season 2014, of course.
BONUS PLAYER! Speaking of Giancarlo Stanton, he's hitting .379/.472/.655. That's not the interesting part though; it's his 6:2 BB:K ratio in 29 at-bats, and 10:5 ratio in 46 at-bats including his work in the WBC, that gets you wondering what kind of numbers he might put up if his strikeouts drop into the double digits...
Khris Davis, Mil: The Brewers' attrition at first base has left them looking at giving the position to Alex Gonzalez because, hey, moving an aging shortstop to first base worked with Ernie Banks that one time, right? It's a terrible idea, but until Corey Hart gets healthy the team didn't really see any other options. Davis, who's yet another bat-first Brewers prospect, hit .294/.345/.667 in 51 at-bats with six home runs and did his best to give them that other option. He might still end up back in Triple-A to begin the season, and Hart should be back sometime in May anyway, but if Davis does win a bench spot and Gonzalez shockingly proves not to be the answer at first base there could be an opening for the kid.
Matt Harvey, NYM: Harvey's hardly a secret, which makes him somewhat less interesting, but racking up a 29:7 K:BB ratio in 23.1 spring innings the first time you know you have a job locked up does wonders for cementing your status as the next big thing. If you miss out on one of the big seven elite starters, Harvey's a very nice consolation prize.
Domonic Brown, Phi: He's basically had a full season worth of at-bats over three seasons now with disappointing results, but busting out for a .368/.429/.671 spring and launching seven home runs in 76 at-bats nicely fans those last dying embers of his prospect status. Plus, having Delmon Young as your main competition for playing time pretty much guarantees that you'll get a chance at some point to run with a starting job. Brown might just be a late bloomer, or he might never meet the expectations created by his minor league performance, but either way it's still fairly cheap to find out if this is the year he finally does something useful.
Jonathan Galvez, SD: Everyone knows the story by now. The Padres need a second baseman, so in comes one of their top prospects to hit the cover off the ball this spring and seize the job... wait, no, that was Jedd Gyorko, and his .283/.306/.517 line is actually kind of limp next to Galvez's .375/.409/.550 performance. So why is Gyorko breaking camp as a starter while Galvez has to go ride buses some more? Well, Gyorko's already proven himself against Triple-A pitching while Galvez had some injury issues that cut into his counting stats at Double-A last year (although his slash line was still solid). If Chase Headley's own injuries force Gyorko back over to third base though, and Galvez continues hitting well in the minors, the Padres might find themselves with two rookies on their infield this season.
Brandon Belt, SF: Pretty much everything I said about Domonic Brown applies to Belt, except that he actually hit OK in the majors last year, has even less competition for playing time than Brown does, and his .433/.460/.900 (yes, NINE HUNDRED) spring line is even more impressive. Heck, he's hit as many home runs this spring as he did in the entire 2012 regular season. Brown might be the mayor of Posthypesleeperville, but Belt is the governor of the state of New Posthypesleepershire. I mean, what are the Giants going to do to deny him a starting spot this year, trade for Justin Morneau? Wait, I probably shouldn't give Brian Sabean ideas. Scratch that.
Michael Wacha, StL: Wacha seems to be good at this pitching thing. 40:4 K:BB ratio in 21 innings across three levels in his pro debut last year, then 15:1 in 11.2 spring innings, is about as dominant as you can get. The Cardinals haven't yet decided whether they want him in the rotation or bullpen long-term, but between Jason Motte's suddenly-balky elbow and an unsettled fifth starter spot there could be plenty of openings for St. Louis' latest high-K wunderkind. Plus his name sounds like the noise you make when you're flailing in the air after watching a really cool martial arts flick, which has to count for something.
Anthony Rendon, Was: Rendon pounded out a .375/.412/.875 line in 32 at-bats during stints of not being on the DL this spring, and assuming he can keep that up (the not being on the DL part, I mean) he'll probably force the Nationals to figure out a way to add him to the lineup much as they did with Bryce Harper last year. It may not be that hard, actually. Denard Span has his own history of failing to stay healthy to fall back on, and Danny Espinosa's left shoulder could cause him problems all year. This could be one of those problems that has a way of resolving itself.
Posted by Erik Siegrist at 3/24/2013 9:14:00 PM |
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Recent Arizona Diamondbacks Player News
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| RotoWire Update |
Recommendation |
| Dan Hudson (P) AZ |
5/24/2013 |
| Hudson threw 70 pitches in an extended spring game on Thursday. |
Hudson took another step forward in his recovery from Tommy John surgery Thursday, and appears to be ahead of schedule. The Diamondbacks' right-hander will pitch another extended spring game on Wednesday and then possibly head out to his first rehab assignment. Hudson has made some adjustments to his mechanics, which should take some of the stress off his elbow and allow him to get on top of the ball better. With the abundance of pitching depth , the Diamondbacks can bring Hudson back slowly to ensure that his elbow has completely healed. The young right-hander could be back towards the end of June but the first week of July is probably more realistic. |
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| Aaron Hill (2B) AZ |
5/24/2013 |
| Hill (hand) could begin a strengthening program as early as next week, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. |
The Diamondbacks' second baseman is expected to see a team physician Monday or Tuesday and if all goes well, Hill could begin a strengthening program by next week. This would be a big step in the rehab process and could lead to a Triple-A assignment by the end of May. Until Hill returns, the Diamondbacks will continue to use the trio of Martin Prado, Josh Wilson and Cliff Pennington to cover his second base duties. |
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| Randall Delgado (P) AZ |
5/24/2013 |
| Delgado yielded three runs on four hits in Thursday's loss to Triple-A Express. In just 4.2 innings he walked three batters while striking out a season high seven. |
Delgado was one of the front runners to make the rotation coming out of spring-training but lost out to Patrick Corbin. Since joining Triple-A Reno, he has been extremely inconsistent. Delgado has always possessed the ability to miss bats but has had a difficult time locating his pitches early this season. Through 10 games, he's pitched to a 7.43 ERA and a 5.48 BB/9 both of which are career highs. However, he has now posted back-to-back solid outings and looks to be heading in the right direction. With the amount of quality pitching prospects ahead of Delgado, he will likely have the opportunity to work through his inconsistencies and regain the form that caught the Diamondbacks' attention in 2012. |
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| Adam Eaton (OF) AZ |
5/23/2013 |
| Eaton (elbow) will likely see Dr. James Andrews in the upcoming days for a second opinion, the Arizona Republic reports. |
Eaton had an MRI done Wednesday and the results were much more favorable than expected. According to general manager Kevin Towers, "the MRI showed fluid around the UCL, but the ligament looked the same as his prior MRI, so no new damage." During the next few days the Diamondbacks are likely to seek a second opinion from orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews. As long as everything goes smoothly, Eaton will rest the elbow for the next few weeks and then begin a new rehab assignment. No official timetable has been determined but initial indications are the end of June to early July as a best-case scenario. |
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| Gerardo Parra (OF) AZ |
5/23/2013 |
| Parra will benefit from the absence of Adam Eaton (elbow) and should continue to see plenty of leadoff at-bats for the Diamondbacks. |
Parra for his career has hit right-handed pitching much better than southpaws. However, this season he has really held his own, batting .273 compared to .318 against right-handed pitchers. The good news for Parra is that he will continue to see leadoff at-bats as he is on the strong side of the platoon with A.J. Pollock. Parra has done everything right this season and will likely still be heavily involved even when Eaton eventually returns. For now continue to ride the Diamondbacks' outfielder because he will see plenty of opportunities to score runs hitting in front of Paul Goldschmidt and Eric Chavez. |
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| Adam Eaton (OF) AZ |
5/23/2013 |
| An MRI taken on Eaton's injured elbow has revealed no structural damage, but his recent setback will delay his return several weeks, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports. |
Eaton is fortunate to have avoided a season-ending setback, but he will do two-to-three weeks of strengthening before beginning a throwing program -- and will likely head out on another rehab assignment after that -- so he won't rejoin the big club anytime soon. With Eaton out awhile longer, A.J. Pollock will continue seeing most of the action in center field for the Diamondbacks. |
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| Brad Ziegler (P) AZ |
5/23/2013 |
| Ziegler pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Rockies. |
With Heath Bell taking over the closer role in the absence of J.J. Putz, Ziegler has become the preferred right-hander for the seventh or eighth innings. He has yielded 16 hits, six runs, and six walks while striking out 17 in 21.2 innings of work this season. |
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| Josh Wilson (SS) AZ |
5/23/2013 |
| Wilson went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Rockies. |
Wilson got the spot start at second base on Wednesday since Martin Prado played third base with Eric Chavez receiving the day off. He certainly didn't help his cause for more playing time, going 3-for-22 over the past seven games. He is best left off of fantasy rosters completely unless you are desperate in a NL only league. |
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Recent Arizona Diamondbacks Team News
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| RotoWire Update |
| AZ |
10/16/2007 |
| It may be a relatively quiet winter for Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, the Arizona Republic reports. Compared with his other two off-seasons with Arizona, Byrnes' winter could be a quiet one. Two years ago, he traded Javier Vazquez for Chris Young. Last year, there were deals for Doug Davis and Randy Johnson. His to-do list doesn't appear to be quite so long heading into the 2008 season. Livan Hernandez will be a free agent and isn't expected to be re-signed. First baseman Tony Clark is also a free agent, and seems likely to be brought back. The Diamondbacks still have more corner infielders and corner outfielders than corners. Aside from Clark, the position players that Arizona manager Bob Melvin used most of the season are either under contract or under team control for next season. The Diamondbacks anticipate continued improvement. "We have talented guys that have the ability to get better," Melvin said. "With the experience they're getting here, I think it's the start of something very big for us and we're excited about the future of the Diamondbacks." The 2008 rotation figures to include Brandon Webb, a healthy Johnson, Davis and Micah Owings, who finished with an ERA (4.30) more than half a run better than that of Hernandez (4.93). The team has several internal candidates for a fifth starter - Edgar Gonzalez, Yusmeiro Petit, Dustin Nippert, not to mention a host of minor leaguers - but Byrnes could try to use his excess of position players to find another arm. If Clark returns, the team will have four infielders - Conor Jackson, Chad Tracy and Mark Reynolds the others - for two positions. Tracy's microfracture knee surgery could complicate trade scenarios. In the outfield, Eric Byrnes, Young and Justin Upton appear entrenched, leaving no room for Carlos Quentin or, potentially, prospect Carlos Gonzalez, both of whom could be appealing trade bait. |
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Roster
Majors
Bell, Heath P
Bloomquist, Willie SS(15D DL)
Cahill, Trevor P
Chavez, Eric 3B
Collmenter, Josh P
Corbin, Patrick P
Eaton, Adam OF(15D DL)
Goldschmidt, Paul 1B
Gregorius, Didi SS
Harris, Will P
Hernandez, David P
Hill, Aaron 2B(15D DL)
Hinske, Eric 1B
Hudson, Dan P(60D DL)
Kennedy, Ian P
Kubel, Jason OF
McCarthy, Brandon P
Miley, Wade P
Montero, Miguel C
Nieves, Wil C
Parra, Gerardo OF
Pennington, Cliff SS
Pollock, A.J. OF
Prado, Martin 3B
Putz, J.J. P(15D DL)
Reynolds, Matt P
Ross, Cody OF
Sipp, Tony P
Wilson, Josh SS
Ziegler, Brad P
AAA
Anderson, Chase P
Bortnick, Tyler 2B
Brewer, Charles P
Campana, Tony OF
Davidson, Matt 3B
De La Rosa, Eury P
Delgado, Randall P
Easley, Ed C
Frey, Evan OF
Gorgen, Matt P
Gosewisch, Tuffy C
Ka'aihue, Kila 1B
Kuhn, Tyler 2B
Madrigal, Warner P
Marshall, Evan P
Marte, Alfredo OF(Out)
Mock, Garrett P
Owings, Chris SS
Paterson, Joe P
Rivera, Juan OF
Skaggs, Tyler P
Snyder, Brad OF
Spruill, Zeke P
AA
Ahmed, Nick SS
Bradley, Archie P
Broxton, Keon OF
Chafin, Andrew P
Clevlen, Brent OF
Cooper, Blake P
Cortes, Daniel P
Evans, Nick OF
Garrison, Steve P
Hagens, Bradin P
Hallberg, Mark SS
Hernandez, Gaby P
Holmberg, David P
Inciarte, Ender OF
Lewis, Rommie P
Lorin, Brett P
Meo, Anthony P
Munson, Kevin P
Nick, David SS
Reed, Jeremy OF
Reed, Mark C
Smith, Eric P
A+
Court, Ryan 1B
Helm, Matt 1B
Lamb, Jake 3B
Navarro, Raul SS
Perez, Michael C
Winkler, Kyle P
A
Bradley, J.R. P
Drury, Brandon 3B
Freeman, Ronnie C
Glenn, Alex OF
Wheeler, Cody P
Rookie
Aguila, Roidany C
Barrett, Jake P
Bianco, Justin OF
Carreras, Alexander P
Linton, Ty OF
Mateo, Wagner OF
Munoz, Jose SS
Perry, Blake P
Taylor, Chuck OF
Trahan, Stryker C
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