The Bucs got their catcher before the baseball meetings; now they're gonna have to get crackin' on lining up some arms to toss the ball to Russell Martin.
As of now, the sure things in the rotation are RHP AJ Burnett, who will be 36 next season, LHP Wandy Rodriguez, who will be 34, and RHP James McDonald, 28. AJ and Wandy have been fairly dependable throughout their careers; J-Mic has to figure out how to finish out a season. Gone are Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia and Erik Bedard.
At best, that leaves two rotation spots open and some needed depth building; most MLB teams like to be eight or nine deep in starters to begin the year.
Those two spots were filled last season by LHP Jeff Locke and RHP Kyle McPherson. Both had flashes of competence, but Locke was plagued by nibbling around the dish, falling into hitters counts and never lasting past six innings in six starts, four outings going five frames or less. McPherson was stronger, but began the 2012 year rehabbing a dead arm and was just pulled from winter ball with the same complaint. That leaves him an iffy candidate to take the hill thirty+ times in 2013.
And make no mistake - when building the back end of the rotation, the one thing a team likes to see is a guy who can eat some innings and not kill the bullpen, and neither Locke nor McPherson has shown that ability yet. So the FO has brought in a few once highly touted but now bargain bin pitchers to compete with them.
LHP Andy Oliver, 25, came over from Detroit. The big lefty pumps smoke and has a decent breaking ball, but has had huge problems locating. He's walked 21 in 31 major league IP, and in his minor league career has issued five free passes per nine innings. Oliver left Detroit's camp as the #5 starter, but ended up working most of the year in AAA Toledo.
RHP Zach Stewart, 26, was acquired from Boston. A third round pick in 2008, the sinker/slider pitcher has yet to translate his upside in either AAA or the show. The FO also brought in RHP Vince Mazzaro, 26, from KC. he was a third round selection in 2005, but has had more success working from the pen than as part of the rotation. All three players are on the 40-man roster, and Oliver and Stewart have an option remaining; Mazzaro doesn't.
Other guys the Pirates have that figure to enter the conversation sometime during the season are RHPs Gerritt Cole, Rick Van Den Hurk and Phil Irwin at Indy, along with Charlie Morton, who should be ready to take the hill after TJ surgery sometime during the summer. LHP Justin Wilson has the upside, once the Bucs decide whether his future lies in the rotation or as a back-end reliever.
So they have a small army of hurlers in contention for that fifth spot, but two questions remain - do they want a pair of unproven arms in the rotation, at least during the first three months of the year before Morton and Cole are ready, and do they have a fallback if McDonald can't get back on the bike?
That's going to require them to find at least one more arm with a track record. From what we've seen - and they've been associated with just about every third tier pitcher in the market, which tells us they're at least acting with some due diligence - these are the most likely candidates on the market:
LHP John Lannan, 28, was non-tendered by the Nats and is a player the Bucs have long eyed. The lefty has a 4.01 ERA over six seasons, but with an unwieldy 1.424 WHIP. Last year, Washington shipped him and his $5M salary to AAA, but called him up to replace Stephen Strasburg in September. In six starts, Lannan went 4-1/4.13 and lasted six frames per outing. He's made 30+ starts in three of the four seasons he was a regular rotation arm. With that durability and being a rotation-balancing lefty, our guess is that he's the most likely guy for Pittsburgh to be in on.
RHP Mike Pelfrey, 28, was non-tendered by the Mets. He's 6'7"; which of course tantalizes the Bucs, even if he's not a power pitcher, and has worked at least 184 innings from 2008-11 with a lifetime 4.36 ERA. On the other side of the coin, Scott Boras is his agent, and he had TJ surgery in April. Pelfrey said that he'd be ready by opening day, and is a guy the Bucs have been reported to have some interest in.
The dark horse is LHP Francisco Liriano, 29. Yah, he's thrown to 5.09 & 5.34 ERAs in last two years. But he's had a couple of very nice seasons as part of his resume and still has decent stuff. He intrigues more than a few teams, and the Bucs will check his availability after the market begins to take form when Zach Grienke and the upper level of pitchers settle on deals.
Other pitchers the Pirates have been mentioned as checking out are Milwaukee's Manny Parro and Atlanta's Jairs Jurrjens, though we think they have red flags that even the Bucs can't ignore. And there will be more arms coming free down the line when 40-mans are readjusted for future signings.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Meetings Close Out Quietly For Pirates
The meetings have been pretty quiet for the Buccos. As the GMs scurried to their planes, the final day has so far included:
- Waiting on Jason Grilli's decision. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that the Bucs, Jays and the Cubs are the finalists. Several earlier reports said he would take the Bucco offer unless somebody came up with three years. Apparently they didn't, but someone did jack up the ante, so his agent Gary Sheffield is working a silent auction for his services.
- The Bucs sent RHP Kyle Kaminska to Boston as the PTBNL in the RHP Zach Stewart deal. Kinda makes that traded draft pick look a bit wasted, hey?
- The FO passed on the MLB Rule 5 draft for the first time since 2004, and took a guy/lost a guy in the minor league portion. The Pirates claimed RHP Ethan Hollingsworth, 25, from the Kansas City Royals. His stat line suggests he's penciled in as AA depth. They gave away 3B Elevys Gonzalez, 23, a good glove player who took a beating trying to hit AA pitching last year.
- Jay Bay signed a deal with the Mariners for a year, and reportedly for under $1M (with $2M worth of incentives) in an effort to jump start his injury-cursed career. Don't feel too sorry for him, though - the Mets released him after working out a payment plan for the $21M remaining on his NY contract, so he's not doomed to a life of Hamburger Helper.
- The Rangers signed Evan Meek to a minor league deal with an invite to camp.
- "Kevin Correia is mulling multiple multi-year offers, including one from Japan" per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Various reports have at least the Rox and Royals looking him over.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Bucs Swap Cabrera For Oliver On Day Three
The Bucs made a move today, trading C Ramon Cabrera, a bubble prospect, to Detroit for minor league lefty Andy Oliver, a once hot prospect whose star is falling.
Oliver, 25, got a cup of coffee with Motown in 2010-11, with a 7.11 ERA in 31-2/3 frames and equally unexciting peripherals. He's spent the last three years at AAA Toledo, mostly as a starter but with some bullpen work added in this past season, which looks like his calling - he went 1-0 with a 3.78 ERA in nine appearances out of the bullpen for the Mud Hens and 4-9 with a 5.06 ERA in 19 starts. Oliver has a pretty good farm K rate at 8.5 per nine, but those five walks per game make him a very wild child.
He was a second round pick in the 2009 draft, so fits perfectly into the Bucco once-highly-touted reclamation mold. Oliver was a top ten Tiger prospect, a candidate for their fifth starter at camp, and tosses his heat at 94 MPH, touching 98 with an average curve. But he's clueless as to where the plate is, and that's why Detroit moved him to the pen; good stuff, bad aim. The Bucs have to determine if they want him to continue his conversion to reliever or try to salvage him as a starter.
Cabrera, 23, was a good stick without any pop, with a career .292 BA and 13 HR in five minor league seasons. He's a switch hitter, and projected as an MLB back-up. He would have likely started 2013 at Indy after hitting .276 for Altoona last season.
Other news:
Oliver, 25, got a cup of coffee with Motown in 2010-11, with a 7.11 ERA in 31-2/3 frames and equally unexciting peripherals. He's spent the last three years at AAA Toledo, mostly as a starter but with some bullpen work added in this past season, which looks like his calling - he went 1-0 with a 3.78 ERA in nine appearances out of the bullpen for the Mud Hens and 4-9 with a 5.06 ERA in 19 starts. Oliver has a pretty good farm K rate at 8.5 per nine, but those five walks per game make him a very wild child.
He was a second round pick in the 2009 draft, so fits perfectly into the Bucco once-highly-touted reclamation mold. Oliver was a top ten Tiger prospect, a candidate for their fifth starter at camp, and tosses his heat at 94 MPH, touching 98 with an average curve. But he's clueless as to where the plate is, and that's why Detroit moved him to the pen; good stuff, bad aim. The Bucs have to determine if they want him to continue his conversion to reliever or try to salvage him as a starter.
Cabrera, 23, was a good stick without any pop, with a career .292 BA and 13 HR in five minor league seasons. He's a switch hitter, and projected as an MLB back-up. He would have likely started 2013 at Indy after hitting .276 for Altoona last season.
Other news:
- Reports say that Jason Grilli may be getting ready to pick a team; the Bucs keep saying they'd like him back and have made an offer, so we should find out where he lands shortly.
- Free agent righty Mike Pelfrey is getting a lot of play, with the Mariners, Indians, Twins, and others in the mix. The Pirates were connected to him earlier, so the competition is heating up. Pelfrey, 29 in January, had Tommy John surgery in early May and was non-tendered by the Mets last week.
- With tomorrow morning's Rule 5 draft fast approaching, Neal Huntington told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Bill Brink that they "have Rule 5 guys they like but not sure they'll be there at pick number 13."
- Clint Hurdle told the media that Neil Walker was done with the PT regimen for his back and is now getting in baseball shape for camp.
- Mark Strittmatter, a Pirate hitting instructor, returned to the Colorado Rockies, where he was a long-time bullpen coach before joining Hurdle here in 2010. He'll be a roving minor league instructor for the Rox.
- Nate McLouth stayed with Baltimore, inking a one-year deal worth $2M + $500K in possible bonuses. Sean Burnett signed a two-year deal with the Angels, reportedly for $8M. The D-Backs have an offer on the table for Rod Barajas.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Day Two Baseball Meeting News
Well, too bad for Bucco fans - the big news of the day is that Wisconsin's coach Bret Bielema is leaving for Arkansas, making Pitt fans as nervous as, well, an oft-jilted bride regarding the future of the Panther bossman, longtime Badger #2 Paul Chryst.
But there is a little bit of Bucco baseball to report:
But there is a little bit of Bucco baseball to report:
- The Pirates are supposed to be on lefties John Lannan and Manny Parra, according to a couple of sources. Let's hope they're talking minor league deals. Rob Beirtempfel of the Tribune Review adds lefty Tom Gorzelanny, and righties Jair Jurrjens and Mike Pelfrey to the list of non-tendered pitchers the Bucs are considering.
- Both Bill Brink of the Post Gazette and Tom Singer of MLB.com observed that Joel Hanrahan isn't the slam dunk of the closer world, as Neal Huntington is finding out. He had optimum trade value last year, but the Bucs couldn't deal him at the deadline for fear the fans - and team - would march to Nutting mansion with tar and torches. Hanny's gonna get moved, but unless he's packaged, not for a whole lot. John Perralto writes that "The Pirates reportedly asked the Detroit Tigers about right-hander Rick Porcello and were turned down." And the longer it takes to move him, the less likely it is the Bucs can lure Jason Grilli back to the fold. We've seen reports that Milwaukee and the Cubs are checking him out.
- Garrett Jones may be the other part of the package. Biertempfel reported that the Bucs "were rebuffed after offering to send Jones to Seattle for right-hander Taijaun Walker, the Mariners’ top pitching prospect." The FO must have some high hopes. Beside, they have to factor in the loss of 27 HR in the Pirates' punch-and-judy lineup before they deal Jones. He'll still be pretty affordable this season.
- The Bucs could also sweeten a deal with an outfielder; it looks like Jose Tabata, who the Bucs had pass on winter ball for conditioning, and Alex Presley will duke it out for the fourth OF spot, so that's one area Pittsburgh is a little bit deep at.
- In case you're wondering, NH told the media yesterday that Russell Martin's signing was the big move of the off season. Our guess is the FO will be working on a couple of mid-to-back end pitchers, an arm or two for the pen, and maybe a vet for the bench. The potential rotation took another shot when Kyle McPherson was yanked from winter ball with "arm fatigue. This is the second time this year that he's been shut down, and that has to be a major concern going forward.
- Will Carroll of SI tweeted that "Key free agent to watch is Rod Barajas. A team official said he is only catcher capable if catching knuckler. Might tip Dickey deal." For real?
- Jay Bay is talking seriously with Seattle, and Kevin Correa is getting his tires kicked by the Orioles.
- Matt Hague is still a Bucco. He passed through waivers and was assigned back to Indy.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Bucco Bits...Baseball Meeting Rumors
Let the hot stove fire up...
- Per Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times: "I’ve been told that the Mariners have had talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates concerning first baseman/right fielder Garrett Jones. This is just one of many conversations the Mariners have had with various teams, but I’m told that some actual names were bandied about between the squads. One proposal went something along the lines of the left-handed hitting Jones and Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan going to the Mariners with potentially one other throw-in, in exchange for first baseman Justin Smoak, catcher John Jaso and starting pitcher Hector Noesi. Again, I don’t know that this was the only set of names tossed about and you can be pretty certain that it wasn’t." He's right there; the rumor may be a bit dated, given the Russell Martin signing.
- Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review adds that the Orioles, who have some excess pitching, may be interested in Jones, and that the Bucs are kicking the tires of non-tendered LHP John Lannan.
- Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports: "R.A. Dickey is under contract for 2013 for $5 million, the sides are negotiating an extension, and if they can't come to an agreement, Dickey likely will be traded...I like him in Pittsburgh best." Of course, a half dozen or so other teams are said to be in the hunt, too, even if the FO agrees with Brown, which is debateable.
- Lots of Hanny action. Tom Singer of MLB.com writes that "Teams are intrigued by the perceived availability of closer Joel Hanrahan. Even though they are without two other key relievers from this past season -- Jason Grilli is a free agent and Chris Resop was dealt to Oakland -- the Bucs feel better equipped to restock the bullpen and may be interested in turning Hanrahan into a needed starting pitcher." We don't expect the FO to address the bullpen at the meetings, though. Their MO has been to wait out the market to optimize value at the cost of reduced options.
- Buster Olney of ESPN (via MLB Trade Rumors) reiterates a popular theme: "The Pirates have let other teams know that closer Joel Hanrahan is available and they are looking for starting pitching."
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reinforces that point, tweeting that the "Pirates are definitely trying to add a starting pitcher, but balking so far at prices on both FA and trade market."
- Jeff Moore of Rant Sports with a bit of speculation: "I’ve suggested before that Minnesota Twins outfielder Josh Willingham would be a good fit. He’s not a good outfielder, but he’s consistently been a 2-3 win player, and the majority of that production comes from hitting left-handed pitchers, something the Pirates routinely struggled with in 2012."
- If the Bucs go Rule 5 again, Tom Smith at Rumbunter identifies some likely targets. Tim Williams at Pirates Prospects adds RHP Kyle Heckathorn to the wish list.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Vin Mazzaro
With Jeff Karstens and Chris Resop's departures, RHP Vin Mazzaro, 26, recently acquired from the Royals, suddenly looks like a guy with a long shot to break camp in April. Here's his tale:
Mazzaro grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey, and attended Rutherford High School where he led the team to two consecutive state championships. The Oakland As took him in the third round of the draft, inking him to a $380,000 bonus. He didn't deliver his John Hancock until late in the process, and the righty didn't get his pro start until the following year.
In 2006, Oakland assigned him to Class A Kane County in the Midwest League. It was an aggressive posting for a 19 year old preppie in his first season, the same track the Bucs gave Jameson Taillon. He started 24 games and went 9-9/5.05. None of his peripherals were strong, but he was a level above his head and held his own.
The As were apparently satisfied, moving Mazzaro another step up the ladder to High A Stockton of the California League in 2007. Like the PCL, the Cal is a hitter's league, and Mazzaro went 9-12/5.53. He gave up two less hits per nine and got his whiff rate close to seven, both of which showed progress, but added an extra walk (4.2/9), an early sign of a problem that's unfortunately with him today. Mazzaro made 28 starts covering 153-2/3 innings, so he was showing himself as a pretty durable guy.
Mazzaro had his breakout year in 2008 for the Class AA Midland RockHounds. He went 12-3/1.90 and won the Texas League ERA title. He reached Class AAA at age 21 when he got three starts for the PCL Sacramento River Cats at the season's end. The righty showed better control, getting his Ks up to 6.9 and walks down to 2.4 per nine innings. In December, Baseball America rated Mazzaro as the #8 prospect in Oakland's system.
He started at AAA in 2009, and was strong in limited action (2-2/2.38 in 10 games) as he spent a big chunk of the year at Oakland. Mazzaro made his major league debut on June 2nd against the Chicago White Sox, and took the victory by going 6-1/3 scoreless innings. He remained in their rotation through the end of August, making 17 starts, but didn't show much at the MLB level, putting up a line of 4-9/5.32. Mazzaro gave up a dozen hits and four walks per nine and only had a whiff rate of 5.8, adding up to a WHIP of 1.741.
Mazzaro was back at Sacramento in 2010, and got off to a strong start, going 3-1/3.13 with nine K and four walks per nine. He made one start for KC one start in early May and later in the month he joined the Royals for good, making 18 starts with six relief outings. Mazzara finished up 6-8/4.57, giving up four walks to six whiffs per nine. Top prospect to top gun is never a given transition, as Billy Beane well knows.
So it wasn't a huge surprise when Mazzaro was traded along with minor league pitcher Justin Marks to the Kansas City Royals for OF David DeJesus in November. He came out of camp in 2011 as the fifth starter, but was sent to AAA Omaha to get in some work while waiting out the early season open dates on the KC calendar.
He was shaky for the Storm Kings, and kept there until Bruce Chen went on the DL on May 10th. Mazzaro didn't pitch very well, putting up a slash of 1-1/8.26 split between starting and the pen, yo-yo'ing back and forth between the minors and the show. In 28-1/3 IP, he gave up 39 hits, 15 walks and only struck out 10 batters. A lot of that bad numerology came from one record-setting outing on May 16th against Cleveland, when he surrendered 14 earned runs in 2-1/3 innings. He not only set a Royal futility mark, but...
...According to Elias Sports Bureau, Mazzaro became the first pitcher in modern history to give up 14 runs in less than three innings and the first relief pitcher to yield 14 runs in a game since Tommy Warren of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944, Warren's only season in the show. He's the fifth reliever to be charged with 14 earned runs, and the first since Les McCrabb of the 1942 Philadelphia Athletics (McCrabb wouldn't pitch in the majors again until 1950, and that was his last hurrah).
Not to be outdone, STATS LLC chimed in and added that he became the third pitcher since 1947 (along with Milwaukee's Billy Travers vs. Cleveland, 1977 and Oakland's Mike Oquist vs. the Yankees, 1998) to give up 14 runs in a game and the first pitcher to give up 10 runs in an inning since Texas' Scott Feldman against Boston in 2008.
He was scheduled to be the starter the next night, so probably wasn't prepared mentally to hit the hill, but dang! At any rate, he was returned to Omaha the next day. Without that appearance, he pretty well pitched as advertised, putting up a 4.15 ERA in his other half-dozen outings, again split between starting and the pen.
Mazzaro spent the 2012 season traveling between Omaha and KC as a swingman, but was now getting more calls from the pen opposed to starts. He worked better from the pen, but still put up a 4-3/5.73 line in KC. In 44 IP, he gave up 56 hits, 19 walks, and punched out 26 hitters. But he did work better in AAA, going 2-2 with five saves and a 3.63 ERA while keeping his K rate at 8, where it's been for his past three minor league seasons.
On November 20th, 2012 the Royals DFA'ed Mazzaro, and eight days later the Bucs sent DSL pitchers Luis Santos and Luis Rico to KC for him and 1B Clint Robinson. Both sides are happy; Dayton Moore got a couple of young, warm bodies for two guys he was releasing, and Neal Huntington got a third-round reclamation project in Mazzaro and a player he likely considers undervalued in Robinson.
Mazzaro's bread-and-butter pitch is a 92 MPH sinker, with an average slider and a show-me change up. His headache is control; he's walked nearly four batters per nine in the majors. His K rate of 5.5 per nine is as much a product of falling behind as lacking swing-and-miss stuff.
Guys at the MLB level just don't fish a lot (present company excepted); working ahead in the count is every coach's mantra. Moreover, he doesn't miss low, but over the plate, and that's why Mazzaro has given up 38 HR in 286 IP and has a line drive rate of 21%.
As a result, he's posted a 15-21/5.22 lifetime slash over 66 appearances, including 45 starts in parts of four big league seasons covering 286 innings.
Our take is that the Bucs expect him to compete for the Chris Resop role, as his history as a starter isn't very strong at either AAA or the majors and he is a two-pitch pony. Mazzaro is also out of options, so he'll have to make the team out of camp or pass through waivers to be sent to Indy and become organizational depth.
Mazzaro grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey, and attended Rutherford High School where he led the team to two consecutive state championships. The Oakland As took him in the third round of the draft, inking him to a $380,000 bonus. He didn't deliver his John Hancock until late in the process, and the righty didn't get his pro start until the following year.
In 2006, Oakland assigned him to Class A Kane County in the Midwest League. It was an aggressive posting for a 19 year old preppie in his first season, the same track the Bucs gave Jameson Taillon. He started 24 games and went 9-9/5.05. None of his peripherals were strong, but he was a level above his head and held his own.
The As were apparently satisfied, moving Mazzaro another step up the ladder to High A Stockton of the California League in 2007. Like the PCL, the Cal is a hitter's league, and Mazzaro went 9-12/5.53. He gave up two less hits per nine and got his whiff rate close to seven, both of which showed progress, but added an extra walk (4.2/9), an early sign of a problem that's unfortunately with him today. Mazzaro made 28 starts covering 153-2/3 innings, so he was showing himself as a pretty durable guy.
Mazzaro had his breakout year in 2008 for the Class AA Midland RockHounds. He went 12-3/1.90 and won the Texas League ERA title. He reached Class AAA at age 21 when he got three starts for the PCL Sacramento River Cats at the season's end. The righty showed better control, getting his Ks up to 6.9 and walks down to 2.4 per nine innings. In December, Baseball America rated Mazzaro as the #8 prospect in Oakland's system.
He started at AAA in 2009, and was strong in limited action (2-2/2.38 in 10 games) as he spent a big chunk of the year at Oakland. Mazzaro made his major league debut on June 2nd against the Chicago White Sox, and took the victory by going 6-1/3 scoreless innings. He remained in their rotation through the end of August, making 17 starts, but didn't show much at the MLB level, putting up a line of 4-9/5.32. Mazzaro gave up a dozen hits and four walks per nine and only had a whiff rate of 5.8, adding up to a WHIP of 1.741.
Mazzaro was back at Sacramento in 2010, and got off to a strong start, going 3-1/3.13 with nine K and four walks per nine. He made one start for KC one start in early May and later in the month he joined the Royals for good, making 18 starts with six relief outings. Mazzara finished up 6-8/4.57, giving up four walks to six whiffs per nine. Top prospect to top gun is never a given transition, as Billy Beane well knows.
So it wasn't a huge surprise when Mazzaro was traded along with minor league pitcher Justin Marks to the Kansas City Royals for OF David DeJesus in November. He came out of camp in 2011 as the fifth starter, but was sent to AAA Omaha to get in some work while waiting out the early season open dates on the KC calendar.
He was shaky for the Storm Kings, and kept there until Bruce Chen went on the DL on May 10th. Mazzaro didn't pitch very well, putting up a slash of 1-1/8.26 split between starting and the pen, yo-yo'ing back and forth between the minors and the show. In 28-1/3 IP, he gave up 39 hits, 15 walks and only struck out 10 batters. A lot of that bad numerology came from one record-setting outing on May 16th against Cleveland, when he surrendered 14 earned runs in 2-1/3 innings. He not only set a Royal futility mark, but...
...According to Elias Sports Bureau, Mazzaro became the first pitcher in modern history to give up 14 runs in less than three innings and the first relief pitcher to yield 14 runs in a game since Tommy Warren of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944, Warren's only season in the show. He's the fifth reliever to be charged with 14 earned runs, and the first since Les McCrabb of the 1942 Philadelphia Athletics (McCrabb wouldn't pitch in the majors again until 1950, and that was his last hurrah).
Not to be outdone, STATS LLC chimed in and added that he became the third pitcher since 1947 (along with Milwaukee's Billy Travers vs. Cleveland, 1977 and Oakland's Mike Oquist vs. the Yankees, 1998) to give up 14 runs in a game and the first pitcher to give up 10 runs in an inning since Texas' Scott Feldman against Boston in 2008.
He was scheduled to be the starter the next night, so probably wasn't prepared mentally to hit the hill, but dang! At any rate, he was returned to Omaha the next day. Without that appearance, he pretty well pitched as advertised, putting up a 4.15 ERA in his other half-dozen outings, again split between starting and the pen.
Mazzaro spent the 2012 season traveling between Omaha and KC as a swingman, but was now getting more calls from the pen opposed to starts. He worked better from the pen, but still put up a 4-3/5.73 line in KC. In 44 IP, he gave up 56 hits, 19 walks, and punched out 26 hitters. But he did work better in AAA, going 2-2 with five saves and a 3.63 ERA while keeping his K rate at 8, where it's been for his past three minor league seasons.
On November 20th, 2012 the Royals DFA'ed Mazzaro, and eight days later the Bucs sent DSL pitchers Luis Santos and Luis Rico to KC for him and 1B Clint Robinson. Both sides are happy; Dayton Moore got a couple of young, warm bodies for two guys he was releasing, and Neal Huntington got a third-round reclamation project in Mazzaro and a player he likely considers undervalued in Robinson.
Mazzaro's bread-and-butter pitch is a 92 MPH sinker, with an average slider and a show-me change up. His headache is control; he's walked nearly four batters per nine in the majors. His K rate of 5.5 per nine is as much a product of falling behind as lacking swing-and-miss stuff.
Guys at the MLB level just don't fish a lot (present company excepted); working ahead in the count is every coach's mantra. Moreover, he doesn't miss low, but over the plate, and that's why Mazzaro has given up 38 HR in 286 IP and has a line drive rate of 21%.
As a result, he's posted a 15-21/5.22 lifetime slash over 66 appearances, including 45 starts in parts of four big league seasons covering 286 innings.
Our take is that the Bucs expect him to compete for the Chris Resop role, as his history as a starter isn't very strong at either AAA or the majors and he is a two-pitch pony. Mazzaro is also out of options, so he'll have to make the team out of camp or pass through waivers to be sent to Indy and become organizational depth.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Bucco Bits
A couple of more bits of Bucco news:
- Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted that the "Pirates have had Joel Hanrahan on the market for a few weeks; they have talked to the Dodgers about Chris Capuano, and other teams, as well."
- Blaine Blontz of Sports Nation posted that the Bucs haven't given up on bringing Jason Grilli back in the fold yet.
- The Pirates announced they signed LHP pitcher Mike Zagurski, 29, to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. In 82 MLB outings covering 69 IP over parts of four seasons with the Phils and D-Backs, he has a 1-0/6.13 slash, with 70 K. It's another depth deal.
- After the Russell Martin deal, Grant Bisbee of Sports Nation took a look at the Bucs Top Ten FA signings over the last two decades. It's not a pretty picture.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN gave an outsider's take on the Pirate organization going into 2013.
- For those that are planning a road trip to camp, here's the Buccos spring schedule. Pitchers and catchers report on 2/11 and the full squad checks in on 2/14.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Bucco Goners: Karstens, Resop
Well, the long suspected non-tender of Jeff Karstens became official today. He was DFA'ed to make room on the roster for Russel Martin, and became a FA at midnight.
Neal Huntington told Tom Singer of MLB.com that "We worked hard to come to a pre-tender agreement with Jeff and his agent and also attempted to work out a trade for him but were unsuccessful." All JK said, aside from sending some Twitter love to the fans, was "...please don't believe everything you read. I can tell you it's not all true."
So it doesn't sound as if any reconciliation is in the air. We're a bit baffled. If he was tendered and got $4M, we think that's a low price for an insurance policy for a staff that only has two dependable guys on it right now, AJ and Wandy. And if the Pirates do bring in a couple of arms during the off season - which they may have cornered themselves into doing now - they surely could have found someone to deal him to at that point and recover something. For a team so obsessed with team control, it seems like they gave up not only control but future value with JK.
The FO did swap out RHP Chris Resop, who was in line to earn $1.25M or so in arbitration after being a waiver wire pick-up in 2010. The Bucs sent him to the Oakland As for RHP Zach Thornton. Thornton, 24, pitched for High A Stockton. He was 4-0-16 in 48 appearances with a 4.53 ERA, but averaged nearly 12 K per nine with a sinker/fastball combo. Intriguing numbers, but he is awfully old to be pitching A ball. As a secondary point, the 40-man roster is now at 39.
But that was the extent of the losses. The Bucs did tender Joel Hanrahan, Neil Walker, Garrett Jones, James McDonald and Gaby Sanchez. They signed Charlie Morton to a reported $2M contract; he won't be ready to pitch again until late in the summer. So Karstens is the only head scratcher, although Hanny and maybe Jones may be shopped next week in Nashville.
In another move, the Bucs also sent DFA'ed Yamaico Navarro to the Orioles for 19 year old RHP Jhondaniel Medina, who was used mainly in the short-season GCL last year and posted a 4.14 ERA with 9 K and 3.6 walks per nine in 50 innings of work. The Pirates got Navarro last year from KC in exchange for 2009's second round draft pick, RHP Brooks Pounders, so that pretty much works out as a three-team Medina-for-Pounders deal.
Some other players you might recognize that were non-tendered today: LHP Tom Gorzelanny of Washington, RHP Jair Jurrjens of Atlanta, LHP John Lannan of Washington, LHP Manny Parra of Milwaukee, RHP Mike Pelfrey of the Mets, 1/3B Mark Reynolds of Baltimore, OF Nate Schierholtz of Philadelphia, LHP Daniel Schlereth of Detroit, C Geovany Soto of Texas, 3B Ian Stewart of the Cubs, OF Ryan Sweeney of Boston and RHP Brian Wilson of San Fran.
Neal Huntington told Tom Singer of MLB.com that "We worked hard to come to a pre-tender agreement with Jeff and his agent and also attempted to work out a trade for him but were unsuccessful." All JK said, aside from sending some Twitter love to the fans, was "...please don't believe everything you read. I can tell you it's not all true."
So it doesn't sound as if any reconciliation is in the air. We're a bit baffled. If he was tendered and got $4M, we think that's a low price for an insurance policy for a staff that only has two dependable guys on it right now, AJ and Wandy. And if the Pirates do bring in a couple of arms during the off season - which they may have cornered themselves into doing now - they surely could have found someone to deal him to at that point and recover something. For a team so obsessed with team control, it seems like they gave up not only control but future value with JK.
The FO did swap out RHP Chris Resop, who was in line to earn $1.25M or so in arbitration after being a waiver wire pick-up in 2010. The Bucs sent him to the Oakland As for RHP Zach Thornton. Thornton, 24, pitched for High A Stockton. He was 4-0-16 in 48 appearances with a 4.53 ERA, but averaged nearly 12 K per nine with a sinker/fastball combo. Intriguing numbers, but he is awfully old to be pitching A ball. As a secondary point, the 40-man roster is now at 39.
But that was the extent of the losses. The Bucs did tender Joel Hanrahan, Neil Walker, Garrett Jones, James McDonald and Gaby Sanchez. They signed Charlie Morton to a reported $2M contract; he won't be ready to pitch again until late in the summer. So Karstens is the only head scratcher, although Hanny and maybe Jones may be shopped next week in Nashville.
In another move, the Bucs also sent DFA'ed Yamaico Navarro to the Orioles for 19 year old RHP Jhondaniel Medina, who was used mainly in the short-season GCL last year and posted a 4.14 ERA with 9 K and 3.6 walks per nine in 50 innings of work. The Pirates got Navarro last year from KC in exchange for 2009's second round draft pick, RHP Brooks Pounders, so that pretty much works out as a three-team Medina-for-Pounders deal.
Some other players you might recognize that were non-tendered today: LHP Tom Gorzelanny of Washington, RHP Jair Jurrjens of Atlanta, LHP John Lannan of Washington, LHP Manny Parra of Milwaukee, RHP Mike Pelfrey of the Mets, 1/3B Mark Reynolds of Baltimore, OF Nate Schierholtz of Philadelphia, LHP Daniel Schlereth of Detroit, C Geovany Soto of Texas, 3B Ian Stewart of the Cubs, OF Ryan Sweeney of Boston and RHP Brian Wilson of San Fran.
Russell Martin Joins Bucs
Well, the Bucs needed a catcher, and went after another good glove guy in Russell Martin. Martin signed a two-year, $17M deal with Pittsburgh, with a $2M signing bonus, a $6.5M salary in 2013 and an $8.5M salary in 2014 (he earned $7.5M last season). It's the richest contract awarded by the Pirates, eclipsing Clint Barmes $10.5M deal last year.
Martin was said to be on good terms with Clint Hurdle since a 2008 All-Star meeting, and he told Martin Weinstein of the NY Times that “My boy A. J. Burnett is there, and I really like the direction they are going with a lot of good young talent. It'll be fun."
He hit .211 with 21 HR and 53 RBI last season, and that's kinda a good news, bad news number. Like Rod Barajas before him, he's a below average stick (he hasn't hit over .250 since 2008) with some power. The good news is that his BABIP last year was .222, so that should regress upward. The bad news is that he's a right handed pull hitter, and PNC Park is not a good place to be one of those.
Still, the Pirates needed a catcher, and limited their exposure to two years by overpaying for him, although that would be true of virtually any FA who inks a deal with the Bucs. They do get a physical guy who is a decent defender and has over 7,500 innings behind the dish.
He's played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006–2010) and New York Yankees (2010-2012), and is a three-time MLB All-Star (2007–2008, 2011).
Martin was born in Toronto, Ontario and grew up in Chelsea, Quebec. Naturally, beside playing baseball, Martin played hockey, too. But he stuck with spikes instead of skates and went to Chipola College in Marianna, Florida after high school, where he played 3B.
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Martin in the 17th round of the 2002 draft, and the Blue switched him to catcher. He went a step at a time in the minors, and was a Florida State League All-Star in 2004 and Baseball America 2nd Team Minor League All-Star and Southern League All-Star while with the Class AA Jacksonville Suns in 2005.
He got a month in with AAA Las Vegas before getting his call to the show when Dionner Navarro, LA's starting catcher, hurt his wrist. Martin took it from there, putting up a slash of .282./355/.436. Navarro was traded and Martin became the everyday guy behind the dish for the City of Angels. He held the spot for five years.
His first three seasons were monsters, as he was selected to the All-Star team twice while taking home a Silver Slugger trophy and Golden Glove award in 2007. But he tailed off offensively starting in 2009, and the slide has continued. After two years in the .250 range, LA didn't tender him in arbitration (ironically, Rod Barajas replaced him), and Martin became a FA. He signed with the Yankees, which needed a replacement for Jorge Posada. In his two Big Apple years, he hit .237 and .211.
Martin's BA went from .250 to .211 and his OBP slipped from .352 to .311 in those four years. And that's why he's here now, pending tomorrow's physical.
The Pirates are banking on him still having some gas in the tank, inking him for his age 30 and 31 seasons. He is a good defensive catcher, especially at framing pitches, with a 30% lifetime toss-'em-out rate (24% in 2012), although his pitch calling has sometimes been questioned. Martin caught AJ in 2011, and beside that connection, he threw out 24% of runners when catching him; it was 5% with Hot Rod as his battery mate last season.
Bill James predicts his 2013 BA to be .242, not great but certainly achievable as Martin has kept up a pretty steady 19% line drive average over the years. James also looks for a bounce-back in OBP to .340, and that's probably in line too, as Martin has walked at a 10-11% rate the past two seasons. The question will be his power; PNC isn't nearly as friendly as the new Yankee Stadium, where Martin had two of his best three MLB HR years.
At 5'10", 205 pounds, Martin is sturdy and fairly athletic. Per Weinstein, he'd like to play on the Canadian World team as an infielder, and has played 3B a bit in the majors, so the Bucs can possibly work him in on his off days at the hot corner to give Pedro a blow against lefties. Even if they don't, he's caught 125 games or so the past two seasons, and except for a hip injury in 2009 has stayed healthy during his career.
There will be some moaning about his price tag; many think it should have been invested in another pitcher. But catcher was a black hole on the roster, and he buys some more time for Tony Sanchez to develop. The move doesn't necessarily mean the Bucs have given up on Sanchez; otherwise we think they may have taken the trade route rather than plunge into the more expensive FA market. It also shows the Bucs are willing to dig a little deeper into Bob Nutting's wallet, as his signing means the payroll may hit the $65M mark this season.
If Martin bats in the .240 range with a dozen homers, 50 RBI and some walks to go with his defensive mojo, it'll be a good contract. He and Mike McKenry should be a competent pairing behind the dish. But there is risk; as we mentioned, his offensive numbers across the board have been in decline, and the facts that the Yankees let him go and the Bucs got him on a two-year deal are indications of that downhill slope. So the Pirates are rolling the dice that Martin can hold the fort until...if...Sanchez is ready.
Oh, if only Dave Littlefield would have passed on Daniel Moskos and taken Matt Weiters in 2007...
Martin was said to be on good terms with Clint Hurdle since a 2008 All-Star meeting, and he told Martin Weinstein of the NY Times that “My boy A. J. Burnett is there, and I really like the direction they are going with a lot of good young talent. It'll be fun."
He hit .211 with 21 HR and 53 RBI last season, and that's kinda a good news, bad news number. Like Rod Barajas before him, he's a below average stick (he hasn't hit over .250 since 2008) with some power. The good news is that his BABIP last year was .222, so that should regress upward. The bad news is that he's a right handed pull hitter, and PNC Park is not a good place to be one of those.
Still, the Pirates needed a catcher, and limited their exposure to two years by overpaying for him, although that would be true of virtually any FA who inks a deal with the Bucs. They do get a physical guy who is a decent defender and has over 7,500 innings behind the dish.
He's played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006–2010) and New York Yankees (2010-2012), and is a three-time MLB All-Star (2007–2008, 2011).
Martin was born in Toronto, Ontario and grew up in Chelsea, Quebec. Naturally, beside playing baseball, Martin played hockey, too. But he stuck with spikes instead of skates and went to Chipola College in Marianna, Florida after high school, where he played 3B.
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Martin in the 17th round of the 2002 draft, and the Blue switched him to catcher. He went a step at a time in the minors, and was a Florida State League All-Star in 2004 and Baseball America 2nd Team Minor League All-Star and Southern League All-Star while with the Class AA Jacksonville Suns in 2005.
He got a month in with AAA Las Vegas before getting his call to the show when Dionner Navarro, LA's starting catcher, hurt his wrist. Martin took it from there, putting up a slash of .282./355/.436. Navarro was traded and Martin became the everyday guy behind the dish for the City of Angels. He held the spot for five years.
His first three seasons were monsters, as he was selected to the All-Star team twice while taking home a Silver Slugger trophy and Golden Glove award in 2007. But he tailed off offensively starting in 2009, and the slide has continued. After two years in the .250 range, LA didn't tender him in arbitration (ironically, Rod Barajas replaced him), and Martin became a FA. He signed with the Yankees, which needed a replacement for Jorge Posada. In his two Big Apple years, he hit .237 and .211.
Martin's BA went from .250 to .211 and his OBP slipped from .352 to .311 in those four years. And that's why he's here now, pending tomorrow's physical.
The Pirates are banking on him still having some gas in the tank, inking him for his age 30 and 31 seasons. He is a good defensive catcher, especially at framing pitches, with a 30% lifetime toss-'em-out rate (24% in 2012), although his pitch calling has sometimes been questioned. Martin caught AJ in 2011, and beside that connection, he threw out 24% of runners when catching him; it was 5% with Hot Rod as his battery mate last season.
Bill James predicts his 2013 BA to be .242, not great but certainly achievable as Martin has kept up a pretty steady 19% line drive average over the years. James also looks for a bounce-back in OBP to .340, and that's probably in line too, as Martin has walked at a 10-11% rate the past two seasons. The question will be his power; PNC isn't nearly as friendly as the new Yankee Stadium, where Martin had two of his best three MLB HR years.
At 5'10", 205 pounds, Martin is sturdy and fairly athletic. Per Weinstein, he'd like to play on the Canadian World team as an infielder, and has played 3B a bit in the majors, so the Bucs can possibly work him in on his off days at the hot corner to give Pedro a blow against lefties. Even if they don't, he's caught 125 games or so the past two seasons, and except for a hip injury in 2009 has stayed healthy during his career.
There will be some moaning about his price tag; many think it should have been invested in another pitcher. But catcher was a black hole on the roster, and he buys some more time for Tony Sanchez to develop. The move doesn't necessarily mean the Bucs have given up on Sanchez; otherwise we think they may have taken the trade route rather than plunge into the more expensive FA market. It also shows the Bucs are willing to dig a little deeper into Bob Nutting's wallet, as his signing means the payroll may hit the $65M mark this season.
If Martin bats in the .240 range with a dozen homers, 50 RBI and some walks to go with his defensive mojo, it'll be a good contract. He and Mike McKenry should be a competent pairing behind the dish. But there is risk; as we mentioned, his offensive numbers across the board have been in decline, and the facts that the Yankees let him go and the Bucs got him on a two-year deal are indications of that downhill slope. So the Pirates are rolling the dice that Martin can hold the fort until...if...Sanchez is ready.
Oh, if only Dave Littlefield would have passed on Daniel Moskos and taken Matt Weiters in 2007...
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Clint Robinson
After starring at Northview High School in Dothan, Alabama, Clint Robinson moved on to Troy University. He was injured in his 2006 junior year, costing him a shot in that season's draft. Robinson took off in his senior campaign, hitting .364 with 17 HR and earning All-America honors. During his four years with the Trojans, he set team records for games played, at-bats, runs scored, hits, total bases, and even hit-by-pitches.
With all that, the Royals didn't draft the then 22 year old until the 25th round of the 2007 draft, signing him for $1,000.
He was assigned to Idaho Falls of the rookie Pioneer League, and put up a slash of .336/.383/.563 with 15 homers and 66 RBI in 67 games. Robinson took home the Pioneer League MVP, and earned Postseason All-Star and Idaho Falls Player of the Year honors.
In 2008, the "Alabama Slammer" went to Class A Burlington in the Midwest League, where he returned to earth. He hit .264, though he still banged 17 HR. A dead pull hitter in college, he began to work on using the whole field.
Robinson moved up to the next level in 2009, to High A Wilmington in the Carlina League. He hit .298 as his all-fields approach began to pay off and he won the Carolina batting race, beating out Lynchburg's Matt Hague though his long balls dropped to 13. Robinson took home that season's Mike Sweeney Award, given to the player that best represented the Royals organization both on and off the field
The big lefty really broke out in 2010, when he won the Class AA Texas League Triple Crown with NW Arkansas. He hit .335 with 29 HR and 98 RBI, and led the league in doubles (41), total bases (298), slugging percentage (.625) and OPS (1.035). Robinson put together a franchise record 21 game hitting streak, and practically ran the board for awards: he was named a Texas League mid and post-season All-Star, Player of the Month twice and Player of the week three times.
The big enchilada evaded him, though. The Texas League MVP went to teammate Mike Moustakas, who had a .347 BA, 21 HR and 76 RBI before being promoted to AAA Omaha. That became a way of life in the KC organization for Robinson, who could never escape the shadow of the highly touted prospects the Royals had seeded throughout their deep farm system.
In 2011, he continued his step-at-a-time progression and was promoted to Omaha in the Pacific Coast league. Robinson kept on hitting with a line of .326/.399/.533 with 23 HR, 35 doubles and 100 RBI. He was named to the PCL mid and post-season All-Star teams.
But all that got him was a chance to tread water with the Storm Chasers again in 2012; the Royals had Eric Hosmer at first base and Billy Butler DH'ing, and they pretty effectively blocked Robinson. The 27-year-old hit .292 with 37 doubles, 13 home runs, 67 RBI and 70 runs scored in 131 games, and again was All-PCL. He got a brief call to the show, getting four at-bats as a pinch hitter for the big club.
In truth, even with those numbers, he did slip some. He put together his worst batting average since 2008 and tied his career low in bombs with 13 home runs. And he's in the Billy Butler mold at first base, which means hitting a baseball is much less a challenge to him than catching one. In scout-talk, he's not very athletic; not many 6'5", 250 pound guys are.
Clint Robinson was clearly a man in need of new scenery, and KC set him free when they DFA'ed him on the 20th and packaged him to the Bucs. The Royals signed former As first baseman Kila Ka'aihue to a minor league deal to replace him as their insurance policy.
As Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sport's Hardball Talk wrote "As a 27-year-old first baseman Robinson was never going to get a chance in Kansas City behind Billy Butler and Eric Hosmer, but he’s consistently crushed minor-league pitching and offers 20-homer power with good strike zone control. Robinson hit .309 with a .396 on-base percentage and .493 slugging percentage in two seasons at Triple-A, so it’s nice to see him go somewhere he might actually get an opportunity."
Robinson has a .308/.382/.520 batting line over six seasons in the minors and clearly can wave his wand. But he turns 28 in February, and no one really knows if he's a true big league hitter or a AAAA stick. It's hard to tell, with no MLB sampling to speak off. He does have a great eye - he averaged 71 K and 46 walks per season - and pounded out 30 doubles and 18 homers per year in the minors. But he's always been old for the levels he played at, and never cracked the Royal's Top Twenty prospect list.
From what we've seen, his discipline should translate into decent offensive production given some regular at-bats in the show. Our concern is with his glove; his tool kit points to DH'ing, and he was traded to the wrong league if that holds true. But the Bucs are looking for someone to push Garrett Jones, and it won't take much leather to do that, but a lot of lumber. And that's what Clint Robinson brings to the table.
With all that, the Royals didn't draft the then 22 year old until the 25th round of the 2007 draft, signing him for $1,000.
He was assigned to Idaho Falls of the rookie Pioneer League, and put up a slash of .336/.383/.563 with 15 homers and 66 RBI in 67 games. Robinson took home the Pioneer League MVP, and earned Postseason All-Star and Idaho Falls Player of the Year honors.
In 2008, the "Alabama Slammer" went to Class A Burlington in the Midwest League, where he returned to earth. He hit .264, though he still banged 17 HR. A dead pull hitter in college, he began to work on using the whole field.
Robinson moved up to the next level in 2009, to High A Wilmington in the Carlina League. He hit .298 as his all-fields approach began to pay off and he won the Carolina batting race, beating out Lynchburg's Matt Hague though his long balls dropped to 13. Robinson took home that season's Mike Sweeney Award, given to the player that best represented the Royals organization both on and off the field
The big lefty really broke out in 2010, when he won the Class AA Texas League Triple Crown with NW Arkansas. He hit .335 with 29 HR and 98 RBI, and led the league in doubles (41), total bases (298), slugging percentage (.625) and OPS (1.035). Robinson put together a franchise record 21 game hitting streak, and practically ran the board for awards: he was named a Texas League mid and post-season All-Star, Player of the Month twice and Player of the week three times.
The big enchilada evaded him, though. The Texas League MVP went to teammate Mike Moustakas, who had a .347 BA, 21 HR and 76 RBI before being promoted to AAA Omaha. That became a way of life in the KC organization for Robinson, who could never escape the shadow of the highly touted prospects the Royals had seeded throughout their deep farm system.
In 2011, he continued his step-at-a-time progression and was promoted to Omaha in the Pacific Coast league. Robinson kept on hitting with a line of .326/.399/.533 with 23 HR, 35 doubles and 100 RBI. He was named to the PCL mid and post-season All-Star teams.
But all that got him was a chance to tread water with the Storm Chasers again in 2012; the Royals had Eric Hosmer at first base and Billy Butler DH'ing, and they pretty effectively blocked Robinson. The 27-year-old hit .292 with 37 doubles, 13 home runs, 67 RBI and 70 runs scored in 131 games, and again was All-PCL. He got a brief call to the show, getting four at-bats as a pinch hitter for the big club.
In truth, even with those numbers, he did slip some. He put together his worst batting average since 2008 and tied his career low in bombs with 13 home runs. And he's in the Billy Butler mold at first base, which means hitting a baseball is much less a challenge to him than catching one. In scout-talk, he's not very athletic; not many 6'5", 250 pound guys are.
Clint Robinson was clearly a man in need of new scenery, and KC set him free when they DFA'ed him on the 20th and packaged him to the Bucs. The Royals signed former As first baseman Kila Ka'aihue to a minor league deal to replace him as their insurance policy.
As Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sport's Hardball Talk wrote "As a 27-year-old first baseman Robinson was never going to get a chance in Kansas City behind Billy Butler and Eric Hosmer, but he’s consistently crushed minor-league pitching and offers 20-homer power with good strike zone control. Robinson hit .309 with a .396 on-base percentage and .493 slugging percentage in two seasons at Triple-A, so it’s nice to see him go somewhere he might actually get an opportunity."
Robinson has a .308/.382/.520 batting line over six seasons in the minors and clearly can wave his wand. But he turns 28 in February, and no one really knows if he's a true big league hitter or a AAAA stick. It's hard to tell, with no MLB sampling to speak off. He does have a great eye - he averaged 71 K and 46 walks per season - and pounded out 30 doubles and 18 homers per year in the minors. But he's always been old for the levels he played at, and never cracked the Royal's Top Twenty prospect list.
From what we've seen, his discipline should translate into decent offensive production given some regular at-bats in the show. Our concern is with his glove; his tool kit points to DH'ing, and he was traded to the wrong league if that holds true. But the Bucs are looking for someone to push Garrett Jones, and it won't take much leather to do that, but a lot of lumber. And that's what Clint Robinson brings to the table.
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