Baseball Chatter 02/03

 

Kevin Gausmanposted a 3.10 ERA after the All-Star break.

Travis D’Arnaud has been working on his throwing mechanics and ‘retooling’ his swing this offseason, eliminating his habit of wrapping the bat around his head and taking a more direct path to the ball.

The primary reason for Lucas Giolito’s poor debut in the majors last season was his fastball, which opposing batters had an AVG/SLG of .355/.742. Giolitos spin rate was below average which might explain his low strikeout rate of 11 K in 21 IP.. Higher spin rates correlates to swinging strikes.

Kyle Hendricks had the highest number of pitches that were called strikes outside of the zone in 2016. He also threw more changeups, cutters and curveballs for called strikes than he did in 2015.

Devon Travis will likely enter 2017 as the Jays’ leadoff batter.

Bradley Zimmer will be a non-roster invitee this spring The Indians’ first-round draft pick in 2014 struggled at Triple-A Columbus last season, hitting .242/.349/.305 over 128 at-bats, but his ceiling is still high, and he could make an impact as early as 2017.

Last year, 173 pitchers made more than ten starts. Only 32 of those had a better strikeout rate the third time through the order. Chris Sale (+9%) was best.

Mark Reynolds agreed to a minor league contract with the Rockies on Wednesday.

Chris Owings came up playing shortstop, but he can play second base, and he might get time in the outfield as well in 2017. GM Mike Hazen says that the team has talked to Owings about seeing time on the outfield corners this spring, so that he might take the place of David Peralta against lefties and allowing Nick Ahmed to play shortstop. Hazen compared Owings versatility to Brock Holt of the Red Sox.

Before hitting the DL with an oblique strain, Arodys Vizcaino was having an All-Star-type season as closer. He never fully recovered, going back on the DL with shoulder inflammation in August. He did not participate in winter ball in order to rest his arm. Don’t be surprised if the Braves put him on the market. He will make $1.55 million in his second year of arbitration.

Yoan Moncada will remain playing second base in the White Sox organization

The Nationals have a strong core, but questionable depth. The problems are compounded by the health questions facing many of the Nats’ best players.

The Nats could still add a left-handed bat to share time with Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth, and they also need to add depth to both the starting rotation and the bullpen.

The league’s investigation into domestic violence allegations against Mets closer Jeurys Familia is moving slowly.

The criminal case has been dropped because, like many times before, his wife refuses to testify. This also makes it difficult for the commissioner’s office to get info about the incident. It is likely that the final penalty won’t be known until late in Spring Training. Expect the same punishment given last year to Aroldis Chapman, 30 games.

Desmond Jennings once rated as a top prospect in all of baseball and looked to be on the way to establishing himself as a solid everyday center fielder for the Rays.

“Injuries have coincided with a rather notable decline in performance of late, and Jennings no longer profiles as the quality everyday player he once was. Between 2011 and 2014, he contributed nearly 2,000 plate appearances of .249/.327/.402 hitting while swatting 47 home runs and stealing 86 bases. In the two seasons since, Jennings owns a .222/.295/.347 batting line with eight long balls and seven swiped bags in only 333 turns at the plate.”

The Rays released Jennings in August, and may sign with the Reds next week

James Paxton saw a substantial improvement in his strikeout rate as well as an increase in average fastball velocity last season. Are we undervaluing Paxton or has he reached his ceiling?

An article at Fangraphs recently referred to Cesar Hernandez as a poor man’s Jose Peraza and should attempt another 30 or more steals over a full season. With J.P. Crawford emerging and Freddy Galvis in the mix to play second base, Hernandez should remain an extremely affordable player on draft day.

Here are some stats on Hernandez first mentioned by John Stolnis over at SBNation:

  • Hernandez had an fWAR of 4.4 in 2016, the highest mark on the Phillies and 9th-most among all MLB second basemen. In other words, according to Fangraphs, Hernandez was a top-10 second baseman in all of baseball this season.
  • Hernandez had an rWAR of 3.3 in 2016, the second highest mark on the Phils (Odubel Herrera 4.2), 12th-best among MLB second-baggers.
  • Hernandez had an on-base percentage of .371 this year. That was 22nd-best in baseball. The man in front of him? Bryce Harper, at .373.
  • Hernandez walked in 10.6% of his plate appearances this season, the most on the team among players with at least 200 PAs.
  • Hernandez led the league in triples with 11.
  • Hernandez led the league in bunt hits with 15.
  • Since the beginning of the 2015 season, Hernandez has accumulated 1074 PAs and is batting .285/.358/.374.
  • Hernandez hit a career-high six home runs in 2016.
  • According to Fangraphs, Hernandez was worth +4 defensive runs saved in 2016, compared to -5 the year before and had a UZR of 13.5.
  • Hernandez had a BABIP of .363 this year, one year after a BABIP of .342. It was .321 in 2014.
  • Hernandez was caught stealing 13 times and stole 17 bases, a stolen base percentage of just 56.7%.
  • Despite many misadventures on the bases, Hernandez finished the season with a BsR (Fangraphs’ metric that turns all running plays – stolen bases, caught stealings, taking extra bases, being thrown out on the bases – and turns it into an above and below average number) that found Hernandez was worth one run above average on the bases this year.”

The mystery team trying to sign RHP Sergio Romo could be the Nationals

Romo could end up staying in his native California, though, given that the Dodgers are reportedly pursuing him.

The Brandon Moss signing should greatly improve the Royals, who finished last in the American League with 147 homers in 2016. He would be a good fit as the everyday designated hitter, but manager Dayton Moore  doesn’t plan to use him that way, saying

““We didn’t sign Brandon to be our DH,” Moore said on Wednesday. “We plan on rotating that slot. We have an aging lineup, as we know. I think it’s going to be very beneficial to give a lot of our position players an opportunity to DH from time to time.

“That’s our method. One of the things that attracted us so much to Brandon was that he wasn’t a pure DH. He could play both wing outfield spots. He could play first base. So that was important for us.”

The Pirates turned down trade offers involving RHP Chad Kuhl last summer

VIctor Martinez tied for the worst baserunning performance in history at -9.6 runs in 2016, which shows that he is as far below average in baserunning.

The 5,610 homers hit in 2016 was the second-highest total in baseball history. Only in 2000, at the height of the steroid era, were there more homers hit (5,693).

There were 111 players with 20 or more home runs in 2016, an all-time record. How much of a spike was it? Thanks to Baseball-Reference, here is a chart of 20-plus home-run hitters by season, since the strike:

Gerrit Cole is the only starting pitcher in the Pirates rotation who has thrown more than 175 innings in a season. This is why the Pirates need to add a veteran starting pitcher

Mike Zunino fell back into some bad habits after the league adjusted to his approach. Over the final 29 games last season, Zunino went 13 for 89 with a .146/248 AVG/OBP with 43 strikeouts, two doubles, three homers and 10 RBI in 101 plate appearances.

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