Archive for Taylor Teagarden

Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for the second year.

The Graduate: Tommy Hunter, RHP
Fellow rookie Derek Holland gets a lot of love, but Hunter has actually been more consistent (as “consistent” as rookie pitchers can be) this season. The right-hander has a nice walk rate at 2.67 BB/9 but a modest strikeout rate of just 5.10 K/9. Despite the fact he doesn’t miss a ton of bats, Hunter has allowed just 104 hits in 107.2 innings of work. He has, though, been touched up by the long-ball with 12 homers (1.00 HR/9). Hunter has also been aided by a low BABIP-allowed at .275. His homework for the 2009-10 off-season should be to improve his ground-ball rate (37.2%).

The Riser: Mitch Moreland, 1B
Moreland had a very nice year – especially for a player that really wasn’t on the prospect map prior to 2009. A two-way player at Mississippi State University, the big first baseman’s bat has really come on since he signed as a 17th round draft pick in 2007. He had a nice 2008 season but built on that while playing in high-A and double-A. Overall, Moreland posted a line of .331/.391/.527 with 38 doubles and 16 homers in 471 at-bats. Old for high-A ball, the now-24-year-old still hit well in double-A, although his walk rate dove by four percent and his ISO dropped almost .100, from .253 to .163. The left-handed hitter has fared well against southpaws in his career but his lack of usable in-game home run power could hurt him at the MLB level.

The Tumbler: Michael Main, RHP
Sometimes baseball players just have everything stacked against them. Main was highly-regarded as both a pitcher and a hitter when he was selected out of a Florida high school in the first round of the 2007draft. Injuries and illness have taken their toll on his career so far, though. After posting respectable numbers in 2007-08, Main’s stats took a tumble in ’09 due to his health woes. He allowed 72 hits in 58 innings of work, while posting a walk rate of 5.74 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 7.60 K/9. He did get back on the mound at the very end of the year but the season was a write-off. At this point, Rangers fans should just hope that Main can be happy and healthy in 2010.

The ’10 Sleeper: Wilmer Font, RHP
When you think of young pitchers and the Rangers, Neftali Feliz‘ name pops up first. When you ask for the next electric arm in the system, people will mention Martin Perez. Mr. Font, though, should also be in the mix. The right-hander is just 19 but he can already touch the upper 90s with the heater and he also utilizes a changeup and a curveball. He is currently a one-pitch pitcher with his secondary stuff needing a lot of work. Despite that, he was able to dominate low-A ball hitters on occasion. Font allowed 93 hits in 108.1 innings of work and posted a strikeout rate of 8.72 K/9. He struggled with his control and posted a walk rate of 4.90 BB/9.

Bonus: Taylor Teagarden, C
Current back-up catcher Teagarden was listed as the sleeper in the 2008 series. Despite spending the year in the Majors, his 2009 season has not exactly gone as hoped with him barely seeing playing time in the first half of the year. Only an injury to Jarrod Saltalamacchia allowed Teagarden to get into the lineup (briefly) on a regular basis. The acquisition of veteran Pudge Rodriguez quickly put an end to the regular playing time, even though Teagarden’s bat was showing some life when he was able to play more than once a week.

It’s never good when a team loses its No. 1 catcher. But it’s especially bad timing for the Texas Rangers organization with the club 4.5 games behind Los Angeles for first in the AL West division and narrowly (0.5 games up on Boston) leading the Wild Card race. To this point, Jarrod Saltalamacchia has started 71% of the club’s 116 games (and the rate was far worse prior to August). Rookie back-up catcher Taylor Teagarden has started just 34 games behind the plate (29%). I would argue, though, that the loss of Saltalamacchia to right arm soreness/numbness is not a loss at all.

Manager Ron Washington has favored Saltalamacchia to a fault. The 24-year-old catcher has an offensive line of .236/.293/.375 with nine homers in 280 at-bats. His putrid on-base percentage is hurt by both his low batting average and his hack-tastic tendencies at the plate, where he has posted a 7.3 BB%. Saltalamacchia has also posted a lousy strikeout rate at 34.3 K%, the fourth highest K rate in the Majors amongst players with 250+ at-bats. His wOBA is .290, the 23rd worst rate in the Majors.

In truth, a catcher’s offensive contributions are really a bonus. It’s on defense where a backstop really needs to shine. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Saltalamacchia’s glove may be worse than his bat. Amongst catchers with more than 500 innings behind the plate, the Texas catcher is second in errors with seven (and first in the AL). His game calling/receiving skills are nothing to write home about and his range is at the bottom of the barrel. Saltalamacchia has also caught just 19 of the 80 runners trying to steal against him, good for a caught-stealing rate of 24%.

The truth is that, despite showing encouraging improvements, the Rangers pitching staff can still use all the help it can get – and we’ve seen how defense can positively impact results thanks to the presence of rookie Elvis Andrus at shortstop. Saltalamacchia has never been a good fielder, and he probably never will be… But he needs to show something on offense to justify his playing time.

On the other hand, Teagarden has been left to rot on the bench, as Washington tries to single-handedly ruin a young player’s career. What excuse is there for playing a promising rookie only a handful of times during a full Major League season? When he was drafted, Teagarden was widely considered the best defensive catcher in college baseball. His defense made him a sure-fire Major Leaguer, even if he failed to hit (You know, along the lines of what Saltalamacchia has produced this season).

No, Teagarden’s line of .198/.264/.373 is not encouraging, but he’s had absolutely no chance to get into a hitting rhythm. Prior to August and Saltalamacchia’s injury, Teagarden had started back-to-back games only once all year. As the Rangers’ No. 1 catcher in August, Teagarden has hit .200/.314/.533 in 30 at-bats. He’s finally gotten a chance to show his above-average power with three home runs. After walking just three times from May to July, he has five walks in August and is again showing the above-average patience that he showed in the minors. In a very small sample size, Teagarden has shown glimpses of things that Saltalamacchia has proven he does not possess.

Normally, we joke that a manager’s overuse of a pitcher has caused an arm to fall off. In this case, it appears that Ron Washington has caused a catcher’s arm to all but fall off. In all seriousness, though, while Teagarden is far from being the second coming, one can only hope that Texas takes this time to realize that there is life beyond Saltalamacchia.

The Graduate: Chris Davis | Born: March 1986 | 1B/3B

Chris Davis‘ big 2007 certainly wasn’t a fluke. He thrived in 2008 at every level he visited and made his MLB debut at the age of 22. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Davis hit .333/.386/.643 with 23 homers and 73 RBI in just 77 games. In the Majors, the slugger hit .285/.331/.549 with 17 homers (with a .265 ISO) in 295 at-bats. The downside to Davis’ game (aside from his defence at third base), and the reason why he won’t keep hitting above .270 constantly, is his poor strikeout and walk rates. Davis walked just 6.5 percent of the time, with a strikeout rate just below 30 percent.

The Riser: Tommy Hunter | Born: July 1986 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Who had the better breakout season, Tommy Hunter or Derek Holland? You could make a compelling case for either pitcher but Hunter had success at a higher level than Holland, so he gets the nod here. Hunter was a 2007 supplemental first round pick out of college and is seen by many as a future closer for a number of reasons, including his mound demeanor. Regardless, he spent 2008 pitching in the starting rotation and played at four levels – including a three-game stop in the Majors where he was roughed up. Hunter has a four-pitch mix, although he relied mainly on his fastball and curveball. During his minor league stint in 2008, Hunter struggled to strike out batters in Double-A and Triple-A after posting a rate of 7.71 in nine A-ball starts. His rate at Double-A was just 4.82 and it was 4.75 at Triple-A.

The Tumbler: Eric Hurley | Born: September 1985 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Eric Hurley was rated by Baseball America as the third-best prospect in the Rangers system coming into 2008, but he struggled. His struggles can be partially blamed on the shoulder inflammation that sidelined him in mid-season. In 13 Triple-A starts, the right-hander allowed 86 hits in 74.2 innings and posted rates of 3.50 BB/9, 8.68 K/9 and 1.81 HR/9. In five MLB starts, Hurley allowed 26 hits in 24.2 innings, with rates of 3.28 BB/9, 4.74 K/9 and 1.82 HR/9. He has struggled at Triple-A for two straight seasons and gives up far too many home runs. For a pitcher who averages out at 90 mph with his fastball, he’s going to have to work down in the zone more effectively.

The ’08 Draft Pick: Joe Wieland | Born: January 1990 | Right-Handed Pitcher

Despite having one of the best minor league systems entering into the 2008 season, the Rangers organization increased its embarrassment of riches with a group of 2008 prospects that had very impressive debuts. Joe Wieland, at the age of 18, posted a 1.44 ERA in Rookie Ball, while allowing 32 hits in 43.1 innings. He posted rates of 1.65 BB/9 and 8.45 K/9. Wieland also allowed just two home runs. He has a three-pitch mix with solid command and has the potential to add velocity to his fastball, which currently tops out between 91-92 mph.

The ’09 Sleeper: Taylor Teagarden | Born: December 1983 | Catcher

I have to admit that I am a Taylor Teagarden junkie. I thought he was the best college catcher in the 2005 draft – and that was before I realized he could hit a little bit too. Teagarden was an excellent defensive catcher in college – and still is, although injuries have taken a little bit of shine off those abilities. He suffered through more injuries in 2008 and struggled to hit for average in Triple-A, but thrived upon his promotion to the Majors. In 47 at-bats, Teagarden hit .319/.396/.809 with six home runs. The catcher has always struck out a ton, so his batting average is going to suffer at the Major League level but he should be able to constantly hit in the .240-.260 range with a bunch of homers and above-average defence.

Up Next: The Atlanta Braves