Archive for November, 2012
Cubs Sign Scott Feldman, Land Another Bargain
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote up a comparison between Scott Feldman and Brandon McCarthy, noting that the two pitchers were probably more similar than their reputations would lead you to believe. As McCarthy noted in response, both pitchers altered their approaches to lean on the cut fastball while they were teammates in Texas, and the similarities are likely not a coincidence, given the influence that they had on each other.
In the closing of the post, I noted that Feldman “might be one of the best buys on the market.” Well, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that he’s headed to the north side of Chicago — the Cubs are making themselves the destination for undervalued starting pitchers.
Win a Free Copy of THT 2013!
In case you hadn’t heard, The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2013 has hit internet bookshelves. You can read all about it here in Dave Studeman’s post, or you can listen to Carson Cistulli and myself discuss it here on a FanGraphs Audio podcast.
Because we’re giving folk, and since it’s the beginning of the holiday season and all, we want to give you a chance to win yourself a free copy of the book. So each day this week, we’ll be running a trivia contest based on one of the articles in the book. You can find yesterday’s contest here, if you’re into that sort of thing. The first person to post the correct answer in the comments will win a free physical copy of the book (sorry, no free Kindle or Nook versions). It’s just that simple!
Today’s question comes from the article entitled “Examining Umpire Strike Zones.” Written by THT’s Chris Jaffe, it takes a historical look at umpires, through the lens of who has issued the most and fewest walks and strikeouts. In doing so, Jaffe utilizes a plus/minus stat to give the numbers some context. In this way, we can see which umps have issued the most or fewest walks or strikeouts on a rate basis as well, as some umps — like Hall of Famer Bill Klem, for instance — worked games for a really long time. So the trivia question before you today, dear reader, is this:
Daily Notes, With Just Talking About Oscar Taveras
November 27, 2012
Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.
1. In Appreciation of Oscar Taveras, Briefly
2. Video: Oscar Taveras Doing Whatever He Wants
3. SCOUT Leaderboards: Dominican Winter League
In Appreciation of Oscar Taveras, Briefly
It is not the case that the SCOUT batting and pitching leaderboards for the Dominican Winter League (below) ought to be regarded as entirely prophetic so far the respective futures of the players on those leaderboards are concerned. That said, they (i.e. those same leaderboards we’re talking about) do have some value insofar — and perhaps for other reasons — but insofar as they might help organize or reify our thoughts on certain players whose names appear within them.
Q&A: Danny Hultzen, Mariners Pitching Prospect
Danny Hultzen went 1-4, with a 5.92 ERA in 12 starts for Triple-A Tacoma this year. In today’s what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, some people could look at those numbers and discount him as a top prospect. But that would be a mistake.
The Seattle Mariners took the 23-year-old (as of tomorrow) southpaw second-overall in the 2011 draft for a reason: He knows how to pitch. Hultzen logged a 1.19 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in 13 Double-A starts before moving up to Tacoma. His Double-A performance is every bit as telling as his Triple-A speed bump. When you finish your first professional season one step from the big leagues, your future is bright.
Hultzen talked about his approach to pitching — and his second-half struggles — near the end of this year’s minor league season.
——
David Laurila: How do you get guys out?
Danny Hultzen: My mentality is to keep things simple. I attack the hitter, and by that, I mean coming at him aggressively by throwing everything in the strike zone and not being afraid of anybody. I’ve found that if you keep that aggressive mentality, you have a better shot than if you try to trick people.
DL: Has your approach changed since coming to pro ball?
DH: A little bit. In college, you can rely more on your fastball. You can attack hitters that way. I still do that in pro ball, but at the same time, these guys are really good fastball hitters. It doesn’t really matter how hard you throw, they can turn on it, so it’s more important to hit your spots and keep the ball down. It’s important to mix pitches, because if you become predictable — even if you’re throwing hard — these guys will punish you for it.
DL: Does velocity still matter?
DH: It does, but at the same time, it doesn’t. The harder you throw, the more mistakes you can get away with. But at the higher levels, you don’t get away with as many. I’ve seen guys throw 98 and get turned around. What velocity does is not force you to be as perfect.
Effectively Wild Episode 89: The Evan Longoria Extension, the Rays, and Why Players Aren’t Holding Out for More Money
November 27, 2012
Ben and Sam discuss Evan Longoria’s second extension and why players aren’t holding out for a bigger slice of the revenue pie.
Podcast (effectively-wild): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Jonathan Broxton Means Changes in Store for Aroldis Chapman
The general manager of the Cincinnati Reds is Walt Jocketty. Jocketty and the Reds have known there was a decision they’d have to make on Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has proven himself as a closer; Chapman has not yet proven himself as a starter, but it would sure be neat if he could, and if he did. This is what Jocketty had to say on the matter earlier in the offseason:
“We haven’t made a decision on Chapman as a starter or as a reliever,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “We’re talking about it.”
[…]
“It depends on if we re-sign [Jonathan] Broxton and [Ryan] Madson,” Jocketty said. “Or if we get another closer.”
Today, there’s word that the Reds and Broxton are having serious discussions about a three-year contract. Obviously, no contract has yet been signed. Obviously, the Reds haven’t come out and declared that Chapman is moving to the starting rotation. But what it looks like is that the Reds will re-sign Broxton and try to get Chapman to start. Just because that might not be how it works out doesn’t mean that isn’t how it’s most likely to work out.
FanGraphs Audio: Dave Cameron Analyzes All Baseball
November 26, 2012
Episode 280
FanGraphs managing editor Dave Cameron analyzes all baseball — and, in particular, the part of baseball concerning Evan Longoria’s new contract. Also: Hiroki Kuroda. Also-also: Michael Ynoa and 16-year-old pitchers, generally.
Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @cistulli on Twitter.
You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.
Audio after the jump. (Approximately 34 min play time.)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
On Talent, Perception, and Brent Lillibridge
In his first go-round with the White Sox in 2009, Brent Lillibridge wasn’t good, and that September he turned 26. Lillibridge knew he needed to make changes, and his coaches knew he needed to make changes, and so that offseason Lillibridge re-tooled his swing. In the minors, in 2010, he was more or less the same as he was in 2009. In the majors, in 2010, he was a little better than he was in 2009. Yet he posted a 60 wRC+, and a negative WAR.
In the majors in 2011, Lillibridge posted a 125 wRC+, and a strongly positive WAR.
In the majors in 2012, Lillibridge posted a 43 wRC+, and a negative WAR.
Answers to Questions About Mike Napoli
There are free agents whose markets are presently almost complete mysteries. I haven’t the foggiest idea which team might be most likely to sign Josh Hamilton, and odds are the same goes for you. Then there are the free agents whose markets seem better known. B.J. Upton appears to be nearing a decision, and we have a pretty good idea of who he’s deciding between. And Mike Napoli’s market includes three teams, if reports are to be believed. He’s already met with the Mariners, he’s already met with the Red Sox, and he’s shortly to meet with the Rangers. More suitors could emerge, but that’s the picture right now.
Napoli is a somewhat high-profile free agent, being a power hitter capable of playing behind the plate. He’s also a somewhat in-demand free agent, so I thought it’d be a good idea to run a little Mike Napoli Q&A. We all want to know as much as we can about the various free agents — there is much to know about Mike Napoli, just as there is much to know about everyone.