Archive for Jess Todd

The Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals organizations officially closed the book on the Mark DeRosa trade when right-hander Jess Todd was sent to Cleveland on Sunday as the Player to be Named Later. The Indians also received second-year reliever Chris Perez, 24, when the trade originally occurred on June 27, 2009.

The addition of Todd to the deal swings this trade in Cleveland’s favor, even if you don’t consider the wrist injury to DeRosa (torn tendon sheath), which has slowed the veteran infielder. Yes, DeRosa is a valuable player, but both Perez and Todd have set-up man and/or closer potential in the back end of Cleveland’s bullpen. These are not just two right-handed, middle-relief pitchers. Perez, a former supplemental first round draft pick, already has eight career saves in 78 MLB games. DeRosa, 34, is also a free agent after the season.

Todd, a second-round pick from 2007, has saved 24 games in triple-A this season. Last year, the 23-year-old hurler made 24 starts over three minor league levels and posted solid numbers. He performed both roles in college, as well, and has the potential to develop into a No. 3 Major League starter, if Cleveland chooses to place him back in the starting rotation.

Todd’s numbers in triple-A this season as a reliever have been excellent. In 49 innings, he’s allowed 39 hits with a walk rate of 2.39 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 10.84. He’s also allowed just three home runs and he’s limited opposing batters to a line-drive rate of 14%. His repertoire includes a plus cutter, a fastball that can touch 94 mph, and a good slider.

Cleveland paid a reasonable price to acquire DeRosa this past off-season from the Chicago Cubs. I took a look back at the trade last week. The Indians essentially gave up one B-level pitching prospect in Jeff Stevens, and two C-level pitching prospects in Chris Archer and John Gaub. All three prospects, though, have seen their values rise in 2009. In trading DeRosa mid-season, the Indians got back a young MLB reliever with closer potential (and experience) and a low A- or high B-level prospect in Todd (as well as half a season of DeRosa’s production). In other words, Cleveland bought low on DeRosa and then sold high on the veteran. The Indians did not win just one DeRosa trade; it won both.

The Graduate: Chris Perez | Born: July 1985 | Right-Handed Pitcher

The former supplemental first-round pick made his highly-anticipated MLB debut in 2008 and held his own. In 41.2 innings, Chris Perez allowed 34 hits and posted rates of 4.75 BB/9 and 9.07 K/9. He gave up his fair share of fly balls, with a GB% of just 38.7. His fastball averaged out at 95.2 mph during his stay in the Majors. He relied on it a little too much though – three-quarters of the time, with his slider coming in next at 24.6%. Perez is considered the Cardinals’ closer of the future.

The Riser: Jess Todd | Born: April 1986 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Jess Todd has done nothing but post solid pro numbers. The former college reliever has acclimatized well to the rigors of starting in pro ball. In less than two full seasons, Todd made it to Triple-A and held his own in four starts. He spent the majority of the year in Double-A where he allowed 79 hits in 103 innings. Todd posted rates of 2.10 BB/9 and 7.08 K/9. He has a solid fastball in the low-90s, a slider and a developing change-up.

The Tumbler: Colby Rasmus | Born: August 1986 | Outfielder

It’s not completely fair to list Colby Rasmus in this category. Yes, he had a disappointing season, but the outfielder was playing at Triple-A at the age of 21. He also struggled with injuries that should be fully cleared up by the start of 2009 with no residual affect. Rasmus hit .251/.347/.396 with an ISO of .145 in 331 at-bats. His batting average has dropped each of the last three seasons – from .310 to .275 to .251, which is cause for concern. On the plus side, his rates of 12.9 BB% and 21.8 K% are on par with those during his breakout 2007 campaign – which suggests he was not completely over-matched.

The ’08 Draft Pick: Niko Vasquez | Born: February 1989 | Shortstop

Niko Vasquez was select out of a Nevada high school in the third round of the 2008 amateur draft. He slipped a bit in the draft after an inconsistent prep season that left a lot of scouts wondering if he could play shortstop in pro ball. Defensively in pro ball, he was steady with 11 errors made in 63 games and average range. Vasquez had no issues with his bat in his pro debut. At Rookie Ball, he hit .317/.401/.462 with a .144 ISO in 208 at-bats. Vasquez posted rates of 12.2 BB% and 25 K%. He was promoted to A-ball for a late-season, 11-game stint and struggled with a line of .128/.209/.154.

The ’09 Sleeper: Nick Additon | Born: December 1987 | Left-Handed Pitcher

Nick Additon was no where near the prospect radar coming into the 2008 season, despite solid debut numbers in 2007. He was originally signed by the Cardinals as a 47th round selection out of a community college. Additon has a below-average fastball, but the southpaw has a plus-change-up and excellent control. In A-ball in 2008, he allowed 92 hits in 119 innings of work. He posted rates of 2.65 BB% and 8.17 K/9. He also received a late-season promotion to High-A where he posted a 0.50 ERA in three starts. Double-A will be the true test for Additon.

Up Next: The New York Yankees

We’ve been looking at the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system this week and have highlighted some interesting prospects, including top pitching prospects like Jess Todd and Adam Ottavino. As we all know, pitching is a highly-sought-after commodity in Major League Baseball and the St. Louis organization has its fair share of arms that have yet to make an appearance in the big leagues, including Clayton Mortensen and P.J. Walters.

Mortensen was the organization’s supplemental first round selection out of Gonzaga University in 2007. The sinker/slider pitcher has a low 90s fastball, but it’s his ability to keep the ball on the ground that really improves his prospect status. Prior to 2008, Mortensen had a ground-out-to-air-out ration higher than 3.00. So far this season he has a ratio of 2.08 over two minor league stops. He began the season in Double-A and allowed 59 hits in 59 innings with 22 walks and 48 strikeouts. Mortensen was promoted to Triple-A and has allowed 42 hits in 41 innings with 21 walks and 25 strikeouts. Despite his solid stuff, Mortensen’s numbers have just been OK this season, which might suggest a move to the bullpen is in his future, unless he can significantly improve his third pitch – a change-up (which might also help against left-handed batters who are collectively hitting .342 against him).

Walters also began his season in Double-A before a promotion to Triple-A. At Springfield, Walters allowed 35 hits in 36 innings with eight walks and 34 strikeouts. He also allowed five home runs. After a promotion to Memphis, Walters has allowed 81 hits in 72 innings with 31 walks and 70 strikeouts. Walters was originally an 11th round selection out of the University of South Alabama in 2006. The right-hander’s fastball sits around the mid- to high-80s but he features a trick pitch, which is a cross between a change-up and a screwball. His breaking ball is a below average pitch, which significantly clouds his future outlook as a starting pitcher. You cannot count Walters out, though, as he is succeeding in Triple-A in just his second full minor league season.