New Writer and Thoughts on MLB’s Winter Meetings

December 10, 2009 BY Alex Eisenberg One Comment

I was contacted a while back by somebody who had come across my site and said he was interested in writing for me. His name is Jonas Fester and I was particularly intrigued by his background. In his words…

I attended and played baseball at Johns Hopkins University where I was a first team all-American shortstop and an academic All-American. I ended up retiring from baseball after a couple of stints with teams in the Independent Leagues.

I have served as an assistant coach for Johns Hopkins the last two seasons, primarily working with hitters and infielders. I have extensive experience in using video software to break down and analyze swings on a frame by frame basis. I have a passion for working with players individually, and finding what works with their bodies and swings. While there are basics that every swing must have, I am a huge believer in rhythm, balance, feel, and fluidity in a swing. Every player has a different genetic make up, so every swing must be catered to it. The trick is to listen to what your body tells you, and make adjustments accordingly. I feel the goal of every player is to have a mechanically perfect swing that is able to maintain its form when a player exerts all of their power.

I was introduced to sabermetrics by reading the site fangraphs, and became a believer immediately. So when profiling a player, I always like to blend traditional scouting with statistical analysis to help me find the true identity of a player. Our eyes may tell us one thing, but the stats may tell a different story, or vice versa. The key is to find that delicate balance, and recognize the positive and negatives of each when evaluating a player.

So I’m adding him on board. He’ll have his first article published in the coming days ahead, and we’ll see how it goes from there.

Now, I’m going to give some thoughts on the flurry of activity going on in Major League Baseball at the moment…

The Orioles traded for Kevin Millwood, giving up Chris Ray and a player to be named later in exchange. The Rangers will pay $3 million of Millwood’s salary. The Rangers will use the money they saved on Millwood to sign Rich Harden, somebody I’d like to have seen the Orioles sign.

I like the deal for both teams, especially now that we know the Rangers will use the money on Harden. Some might ask, what’s the point of Baltimore trading for Millwood? I understand the questioning, but it’s not a bad thing to have a guy who can eat some innings when rest of the rotation is so young. The Orioles’ bullpen has been decimated in past seasons because there starters would rarely last past the 5th inning. And perhaps they can use Millwood as trade bait if he pitches well enough in the first half of next year.

The biggest deal of the past couple days involved the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers

Really liked what the Tigers did here. The get…

Max Scherzer – Arguably a better pitcher than Edwin Jackson, who is replacing Scherzer in Arizona, though he carries more risk from a durability standpoint.

Daniel Schlereth – A hard-throwing lefty with exceptional stuff though he has shaky command. A somewhat old scouting report, but you can get a good idea of what Schlereth offers by clicking here.

Austin Jackson – A good, but not great center field prospect. Get more on him by clicking here.

Phil Coke – Coke didn’t have quite the same stuff he showed in New York back in 2008. His velocity fell off on all his pitches. His fastball went from 93 to 92 mph, his slider went from 83 to slightly under 82, and his change-up dropped from 84 to 82. But on balance, Coke gives the Tigers a capable lefty out of the bullpen.

Maybe the most significant part of this trade for the Tigers is that they have each player under their control for a long period of time at a low price.

For reaction on Detroit’s end of the deal, see this post by Bless You Boys

The Yankees

The deal was also solid for the Yankees who get an above average center fielder in Curtis Granderson. He had a down year in 2009 and is completely baffled by left handed pitchers, but Yankee stadium is a perfect fit for Granderson’s ability. He’s an All-Star level player if he hits at his full upside.

For more reaction from the Yankees side of things, see this post by Cliff Corcoran of Bronx Banter

The Diamondbacks

I was pretty confused on what the motive was for the Arizona Diamondbacks. I like Jackson, but he wasn’t as good as last year’s ERA indicates and he’s only under their control for two more years. They obviously feel that Scherzer will not be a starter down the line. Ian Kennedy, the second pitcher Arizona receives in the deal, is a potential back of the rotation starter and his upside is limited.

See Jim McLennan of AZ Snakepit’s post for more reaction from Arizona’s end of the deal.

My overall feelings on the trade…I like Detroit’s overall package the most. I thought the Yankees got the biggest return for their buck. Granderson for the package they gave up is a better value compared to what the Tigers received in giving up both Granderson and Jackson.

And then, while Arizona’s point of view makes sense in theory (essentially trading two starters for two relievers), I’m still baffled by the move because it’s not a guaranteed certainty that Scherzer will move to the bullpen and what are the Diamondbacks going to do after Jackson is up for free agency? What are they left with? Ian Kennedy?