Today’s Minor Transactions

Athletics claim Jeff Larish off waivers

In the least surprising news of the day, the A’s acquire a first baseman/designated hitter/corner outfielder type with good pop. Larish is 27 with more than 200 big league plate appearances under his belt with a .310 wOBA to show for it. His collective minor league performance is much more endearing, as he’s hit .262/.365/.458 in Triple-A with 42 homers in a little under 1,050 plate appearances.

The A’s outfield has been horrid this season; hitting a collective .263/.315/.379. The good news is that Larish doesn’t have to replicate his Triple-A numbers to provide an upgrade. In fact, his career .239/.318/.394 line would be an upgrade within itself, as unbelievable as that sounds. The absolute worst case scenario is that Larish doesn’t work out. In which case the Athletics lose out on the waiver claim fee and little else.

Rockies claim Wes Hodges off waivers

The Indians’ second round pick in the 26 draft, Hodges is pretty much a non-factor at this point. He’s almost exclusively a first baseman or designated hitter and in nearly 800 Triple-A plate appearances, he’s hit only .268/.312/.404. The only reason he’s notable is because of his draft status. Otherwise, this doesn’t seem like a move that’s going to result in too much reward barring a sudden twist in Hodges’ fortunes.

Tigers acquire Brandon Jones

Jones spent the season to date with the Pirates and here he gets shipped out for a player to be named later. Like Larish, Jones has limited major league exposure – 166 plate appearances – with limited success — .257/.313/.365 – along with a minor league record that promises of better potential — .266/.343/.405 in more than 1,200 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Baseball America had Jones as one of the 100 best prospects in the game entering the 2008 season, and now he’ll try his luck with organization number three.

As an aside, if you’re looking for a nifty shirt that bemoans RBI usage, check out Rocco DeMaro’s SLG > RBI design. Not quite wOBA, but we all know wOBA’s too hard for the streets anyways.