Offseason Notes

This edition of Offseason Notes has the good face. It’s a fact!

SCOUT Batting Leaderboard
The Leaderboard
Here is the SCOUT batting leaderboard for the Arizona Fall League. (Click here for more on SCOUT, the metric that’s “sweeping” the “nation.”)

Notable Changes
Nate Tenbrink, N/A to 9th. Tenbrink is, according to the Good Guys Sports Blog, “pretty similar to Alex Liddi in skills, but minus the Italian-ness” — which, that’s no fun. He’s in the Mariner organization.

SCOUT Pitching Leaderboard
The Leaderboard
Same verse, very similar to the first.

Notable Changes
• Mike McClendon, N/A to 9th. McLendon, property of the Milwaukee Beer Makers, actually pitched for the parent club this season. Voila: 21.0 IP, 9.00 K/9, 3.00 BB/9, 46.4% GB, 3.38 xFIP. He’s most notable for featuring a quick pitch, an example of which you can see in the video below. (It’s the second pitch he throws.)
• Travis Banwart, N/A to 10th. An Oakland farmhand, Banwart is notable for being only one of four pitchers on the leaderboard to have pitched predominantly as a starter this fall. On the other hand, Prospect Maven Bryan Smith has written in these very pages that Banwart doesn’t so much profile a Major League pitcher.

Another Country Heard From, Literally (Dominican League)
Batting Leaderboard
Here is the SCOUT batting leaderboard for the Dominican Winter League.

Notes
• Matt Mcbridelikes his work behind the plate, so it’s possible he’s more catcher than DH. Also, he’s always posted K rates on the right side of 20% in the minors.
• Peter Bourjos ranks 33rd out of 41 batters by SCOUT. Of course, his real tool — i.e. defensive range — isn’t accounted for here, at all.
• Carlos Gomez ranks 40th out of 41 batters. The same disclaimer for Bourjos applies to Gomez, although 12 K in 45 PA in Dominican League isn’t encouraging.

Pitching Leaderboard
Same as above, but for pitchers.

Notes
• Fabio Castro is (a) very clearly having a great fall and (b) a tiny little guy, just 5-7 and 183 by his player page. Per John Sickels, his fastball doesn’t much approach 90 mph.
• Yunesky Maya throws an aesthetically pleasing slider. That’s not, of course, to say that it’s effective.
• Charlie Morton last season: 79.2 IP, 7.57 ERA, 4.26 xFIP.

Projections: ZiPS for Oakland
Beloved Pole Dan Szymborski has published his ZiPS projections for Oakland. Here are some of the notable ones (all numbers assume major league competition):
• Daric Barton, 25, 1B: .258/.369/.400, 108 OPS+. He’s their best hitter — relative to position, at least.
• Michael Taylor, 25, RF: .256/.319/.395, 92 OPS+. Both Szymborski and his computer are worried about Taylor’s contact skills.
• Brett Anderson, 23, LHP: 23 G, 23 GS, 126.7 IP, 12 HR, 33 K, 101 K, 4.12 ERA, 100 ERA+.
• Dallas Braden, 27 , LHP: 29 G, 26 GS, 165.0 IP, 17 HR, 43 K, 103 K, 4.09 ERA, 101 ERA+. This one’s a little weird, as it looks not as good — the components, that is — they look not as good as Anderson’s.