Sean Rodriguez Roars Back
After a slow start, when he was playing irregularly as a reserve for the Rays, S-Rod has absolutely terrorized the ball for Joe Maddon's club since he began playing full-time due to club injuries (especially Jason Bartlett).
He was on base four times today, with a double and two stolen bases, and is hitting .410 with a 1.208 ops in June. He has a fourteen game hitting streak.
Just to compare the slash lines on the season:
Sean Rodriguez: .288 avg, .328 ops, .472 slg, .800 ops
Brandon Wood: .156 avg .168 ops .213 slg .381 ops
Howie Kendrick: .267 avg .297 obp .398 slg .695 ops
Erick Aybar: .278 avg .343 obp .361slg .704 ops
Maicer Izturis: .247 avg .336 obp .387 slg .724 ops
Alberto Callaspo: .270 avg .299 obp .440 slg .739 ops
I throw in Callaspo because he was the other name in our infield depth chart when Kendrick, Aybar and Wood were moving through the system. We traded him for Jason Bulger as you'll remember.
It's hard to evaluate young talent, but I think it's worth noting that Rodriguez and Callaspo are the ones that got away, the ones with the highest OPSes in this list, and were essentially throwaways in an organization that thought it had "too much depth" up the middle.
The Angels are on a nice run at the moment, so it seems uncharitable to dwell on past moves -- but our success is also fragile, and its durability will be defined by these decisions in the future. S-Rod and Callaspo for Kazmir and Bulger. Still sitting well with everyone?
almost 2 years ago
Turks Teeth
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Callaspo is terrible defensively
And just wouldn’t have a spot on the Angels. I take Maicer, Howie and Aybar over him. Sean Rod especially hurts, I would have loved to see him in RF and Abreu at DH this year. But you gotta give up talent to get talent.
I’m still among those who hold out hope that Scott Kazmir will rediscover his amazing slider. If he does so, then he may have been worth it. Not looking good though. I think what will hurt us most in that one will be the loss of Alex Torres. He looks great this year.
We betrayed Vlad, the greatest Angel. Epic fail.
Didn't Callaspo also have some off the field issues?
Angels don’t seem to put up with that sort of stuff, like with Jenks
Domestic assault.
Yep, he was an asshole. But that wasn’t a chronic issue when he was with us on our farm, as I remember.
It’s about value. Callaspo had the highest contact rate in the minor leagues when we traded him away. He played several infield positions. He hit .300 or better his past two years in the Majors. He had talent — he has value.
If you trade him, fine. But he’s an everyday major leaguer, it was quite clear he would be, and we traded hum for Bulger.
Callaspo
If he was “the one who got away”, you should tell that to the Diamondbacks, who gave up on him and traded him to KC, the last chance saloon (along with Pittsburgh) in the MLB frontier. Callaspo spent parts of 2006 and 2007 in Arizona and barely managed to crest the Mendoza line.
He’s hit well in KC, but he booted more balls than Pele last season.
As for Sean Rod, I guess you didn’t see him run his team out of an inning by attempting to advance to 3B (which was occupied, by the way) on a line drive to CF which was caught, easily being doubled off 2B and ending what would have been a big inning for the Rays. It was little league brainlock on a play which he was closest to of any of the Tampa Bay players.
Likewise, his hitting streak is important because, before he embarked upon it, he was hitting .197/.253/.316 on May 27.
Yes, he can hit. He is also still raw. Sadly, he can’t pitch left-handed or he’d still be with the Angels.
"I can't tell people what to think or not to think. Their perceptions are their perceptions. We just feel we've taken a step forward. At the end of the day, we have to play 162 games. Once that happens then we'll be able to evaluate the offseason moves."~Tony Reagins, on the Angels' offseason
by George Kaplan on Jun 13, 2010 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions
It's pretty easy to criticize a player on a single misplay.
By the same measure, Aybar should have been ejected from the system fifty times over. Or we should’ve given up on Kazmir the moment he tossed the ball 10 ft over Morales’ glove in the ALCS.
Meanwhile, Sean Rodriguez’ value is reducible to a misjudgment on a line drive in a game where he was on base four times and FanGraphs gave him the highest WPA on the Rays?
Sure, whatever you say, GK.
Who cares how Rodriguez was playing in May? He was playing irregularly every third game or so — it’s not surprising that he was underperforming. When given everyday playing time, he has taken off.
Same goes for Callaspo. As far as how he played at age 23 in Arizona given 47 plate appearances, p’shaw. That’s weak tea. He hit .300 or better from age 25 on. Arizona rushed him — he came of age as expected, age 24-25.
Let’s stop picking cherries and look at reasonable samples. This is no way to counter-argue with force, George.
He's taken off with the help of a .400 BABIP. That certainly doesn't seem sustainable to me.
And his plate discipline is downright awful to the tune of 5 walks compared to 42 Ks.
I’m happy he’s doing well, but I don’t see him sustaining it.
Thing is, he doesn't need to sustain it.
He could drop down to a (park/luck adjusted) .351 BABIP — his career MiLB average — and still hit .297 from here on out.
He’s hitting out of his mind now — which is what he needed to do to make up the early season deficit he built up. He can regress to the mean and still put up solid season numbers.
Did I write that?
Meanwhile, Sean Rodriguez’ value is reducible to a misjudgment on a line drive in a game …
No, of course I didn’t. I was simply pointing out that he is still a raw product,. Rookies are known to have both hot and cold streaks, the latter especially when the pitchers in the league figure out the weakness of the rookie but his relative inexperience means adapting to the new pitching style is harder.
But you do earn style points for working “reducible” into a sentence. Very nice.
As for Callaspo, he started 37 games for the Diamondbacks in 2007 alone, and hit .215/.265/.271 in that season. Wood has had 35 starts in 2010 but that hasn’t stopped so many from pronouncing him as a hopeless case at the plate. More to the point, I think it can safely be said the Angels received more in value in Jason Bulger than the Dbacks did in (the pitcher) Billy Buckner. Certainly the Dbacks weren’t selling high when that trade was made.
"I can't tell people what to think or not to think. Their perceptions are their perceptions. We just feel we've taken a step forward. At the end of the day, we have to play 162 games. Once that happens then we'll be able to evaluate the offseason moves."~Tony Reagins, on the Angels' offseason
by George Kaplan on Jun 15, 2010 4:00 AM PDT up reply actions
"But you gotta give up talent to get talent."
Totally meaningless phrase out-of-context. Cliché without a Yogi Berra twist.
Kazmir was a talent — when we traded for him, he was a project. He was a project with a 1.54 WHIP, a 5.92 ERA, who had lost 4-5 mph on his fastball and lost the break on his slider. He’s recovered neither so far, and his numbers this season are predictably close to those he had with Tampa Bay last season.
But the main issue is again value. We absorbed $24M on Kazmir’s contract to try to repair him. He’s either worth that, or he’s worth prospects — not both. If he’s a pitcher that makes a couple million a year, then you trade a couple good prospects for the opportunity. But $24M plus Rodriguez, Torres and Sweeney?
As Becker/Fagen might have it: Only a fool would pay that.
I agree
Kaz is a project, but he’s also a talent.
Do I think we should have got more for Callaspo? Yes.
Do I think we shouldn’t have given up so much for Kaz? Yes.
We undoubtedly lost on both of those deals. I didn’t approve of our GM before Reagins and Tony hasn’t really impressed me much yet. He’s willing to deal sure, but that Kaz deal was completely one sided.
Callaspo needed to be dealt, and we needed another starting pitcher. So our GM’s are half way there, at least they know what we need. They just fail to get it.
We betrayed Vlad, the greatest Angel. Epic fail.
Totally. Especially because a team like Tampa can't have GMJ's hanging around for 3 years.
Three prospects? way too much. Salary dump + 1, not 3.
by Wally's World on Jun 14, 2010 12:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Not always
“But you gotta give up talent to get talent”
We shouldn’t have had to. You can also get talent by giving up money, which we are doing with Kazmir (12 million next year). Tampa Bay has a tight budget and they were desperate to get someone to take that contract off their hands. And they must be pretty good at poker to get Reagins to do it while also giving up real propects.
We gave up more for Kazmir than either the Phillies or Mariners gave up in the Cliff Lee trades. I hated it the moment SeanRod’s name was announced.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Jun 13, 2010 8:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes, Kazmir will cost $12M next year
It is also less than the $15.25M Lackey will make in Boston in 2011 (and far less than the $18M he’s making this year). Acquiring Kazmir made Lackey expendable. It wasn’t that Kazmir replaced Lackey (really, Weaver did), but that Kazmir added a veteran arm to the rotation, which meant the Angels wouldn’t be depending upon Sean O’Sullivan or Matt Palmer to be in the rotation if Lackey left.
In the context of taking Kazmir’s upside versus saddling the team with 5 very expensive years of a declining Lackey, I’d do that deal with Tampa every day and twice on Sundays.
"I can't tell people what to think or not to think. Their perceptions are their perceptions. We just feel we've taken a step forward. At the end of the day, we have to play 162 games. Once that happens then we'll be able to evaluate the offseason moves."~Tony Reagins, on the Angels' offseason
by George Kaplan on Jun 13, 2010 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
What? You regret the Angels not re-signing Lackey for $82.5M/5 yrs?
That’s kind of the whole point: Two more years of Kazmir functioning as a #3 or even #4 starter means the team didn’t have to give an ungodly amount of money to Lackey and have a front row seat to view his decline on the mound.
Come to think of it, the two pitchers are having remarkably similar years:
° Lackey has 13 starts, a 7-3 record, but a K:BB of 1.26 (44/35), while Kazmir has 12 starts, a 6-5 record and a K:BB of 1.35 (46/34)
° Lackey has a WHiP of 1.57, Kazmir’s is 1.53
° Batters are hitting .291/.362/.441 off Lackey, while hitters are .263/.349/.448 off Kazmir°
° Lackey is averaging 17 pitches per inning, while for Kazmir it’s 18.5 (neither has been terribly efficient; a top pitcher will be 15.x or under)
The players diverge in one key area for the Angels: Kazmir is under contract through next season (with an option for 2012); he’ll turn 27 January of 2011. Lackey, on the other hand, is under contract through 2014; he’ll be 35 in the final year of his deal (turning 36 right after the World Series).
It seems well worth it to get 2+ years of Kazmir so we didn’t have to pay for 5 years of Lackey in his decline phase.
"I can't tell people what to think or not to think. Their perceptions are their perceptions. We just feel we've taken a step forward. At the end of the day, we have to play 162 games. Once that happens then we'll be able to evaluate the offseason moves."~Tony Reagins, on the Angels' offseason
by George Kaplan on Jun 15, 2010 3:31 AM PDT up reply actions
That's all good and true
But why did they pick Kazmir, specifically? I understand that at that time last year, they really did need one more starter, and they’ve now publicly said they don’t want any “rent-a-players”.
But looking at other starters who may or may not have been available, Kazmir’s career is littered with inconsistency and his stuff is noticeably on the decline. Yet the team decides THIS is the guy we finally sell off prospects and commit over two years of payroll space to? Wouldn’t it have been worth it to sweeten the pot just a bit to grab Cliff Lee for a season and a half?
And sure, maybe that was just never on the table for us. I just hope Kaz was an absolute, last resort type of situation. I guess I can look at the bright side and figure he’s probably due for a hot streak any day now, right?
Why Kazmir?
It isn’t any great insight on my part to say it was most likely due to input from Butcher. I am sure Butcher looked at lots of footage of Kazmir pitching for Tampa and figured he could work out the problems. Whether this was hubris or vision is something we’re finding out now.
"I can't tell people what to think or not to think. Their perceptions are their perceptions. We just feel we've taken a step forward. At the end of the day, we have to play 162 games. Once that happens then we'll be able to evaluate the offseason moves."~Tony Reagins, on the Angels' offseason
by George Kaplan on Jun 16, 2010 3:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Such manners, Rev.
I must invite you over to tea one day, and we can discourse on the boys in the heather and the trouble in Prussia.
Things happen
Last year the team a shot a winning, but had no 5th starter. They gave more than they got because w/ Adenheart’s death, that was the position they were in. Kazmir may yet become a great closer. For a few years the Bulger Callaspo thing looked ok, now not so much, but hardly a major deal.
Nobody needs
A fifth starter in the playoffs. Last year’s champs didn’t even need a #4.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Jun 13, 2010 8:50 PM PDT up reply actions
cause
a stupid commissioner of baseball cough Selig cough decided that in order to gain more money he will lengthen the schedule for the postseason giving each starter enough rest for only 3 starters. If its the standard schedule of 2 games, off day, 3 games, off day, then 2 games, yea 4 starters are needed, but when you get like 2-3 days off per travel day, only 3 starters are needed.
The Angels grow infielders by the dozens on a farm in Salt Lake City.
Major League pitchers are much harder to come by. I haven’t seen any rotation starters picked from our crop in a while, only a few mediocre relief guys. The Angels had some trade chips to get Kazmir that the Rays could use which included S-Rod and Wood. The Angels had their eggs in the Wood basket so they traded off S-Rod. Big deal. If we did’nt have Kazmir right now, we would be stuck with somebody like Jon Garland. I am glad we have Kazmir.
I'm not as bad as all of you.
^^^ This ^^^
Hindsight is always 20/20, stop whining.
I am on a horse!
by SoCalWine on Jun 13, 2010 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Somebody like Jon Garland
Who currently has a 2.81 ERA for the Padres. Yes, there is no way he’d have such a low ERA if it weren’t for Petco. But if we had him and he pitched like he did in 2007, a 4.90 ERA, he’d still be better than Kazmir’s 5.27. He’s much cheaper, and the Padres don’t owe him a dime for next year.
The only way Kazmir would be worth what we’re paying/ plus what we gave up is if he had the potential to pitch like he did from 2005-2008. Sadly, that Kazmir is gone. He threw 95 MPH. The current Kazmir throws 90, barely faster than Jon Garland. Just a bad deal, and our organization would be stronger if it had never been made.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Jun 14, 2010 6:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, the Garland mention is like putting a target on one's chest...
…and a paintball gun in your neighbor’s paw.
Garland: one-year rental costing <$5M and no prospects and pitching out of his mind for the Padres.
His ERA was no great shakes with us, but he pitched an inning more a game on average than Kazmir, stayed healthy all season, and delivered a 14-8 record as a #5 because he largely kept the bullpen rested and the team enough in the game to let the offense have a chance to work.
One-year rental, no prospects, no sunk cost, no damage done.
VS three years, three prospects, an average of five innings and change a game, a disastrous ALCS performance, and $24M.
44FAN, I’m glad you’re not my accountant.
Eh I'm not impressed
He has a 34% K rate to go with a 3% BB rate. As well as a .377 BABIP
no thanks
I took your stash.
so
who’d u rather have, Sean pitching? Adenhart was the 5th pitcher in 09, but due to extraordinary circumstances, a bunch of called up AAA guys pitched in the 5th spot with Palmer the hero.
He's saying that he doesn't mind that we traded away Sean Rodriguez
"Just another Halo victory" - Rory Markas
Killed me...
when I saw S-Rod was the PTBNL for Kaz. He should have been the prototype Angel guy with lots of tools and the flexibility to play him anywhere and you could see he would eventually hit. He would be a huge addition to this roster in terms of who plays where.
I would have liked
To have gone into spring training with B-Wood and SeanRod, tell them they’ve both made the team, one will be the everyday 3B and the other will be a utility man. Let them fight it out. A little competition can be very good for you.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Jun 14, 2010 6:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Kazmir is a 2 time all star
sure he hasn’t looked great this season, but he still is very young and has a ton of upside, you can’t truly evaluate this deal for a few years, I stand by the move.
As some have noted, we don’t have any good starting pitching arms that were ready to fill the void for Lackey, this move made sense.
by The Blake Griffin Era on Jun 13, 2010 10:11 PM PDT reply actions
I would have rather traded Wood than S- Rod.
When we lost K-Rod, we had a void that S-Rod would have filled. Instead we got K-Wood. Now I guess we have K-Rod again, so it doesn’t much matter, oh, except for the K-Wood part. If only he had 10 HR to go with it. I mean heck, Carlos Pena is hitting .196, but he has 15 HR.
The complaints would have been never-ending
if we had traded Wood last season.
You are right
Last August I had Sean-Rod and Brandon even. I would have been upset trading either in a deal like this, where the Angels take on too much salary for the high risk talent returned.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Jun 14, 2010 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
Drink up, Turk.
Your glass is half empty…
"That's the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball." ~Bill Veeck
Some good news
Since removing Brandon Wood from the roster, Angels are 15-5, and even putting up a big .670 pythagorean winning percentage. Half those games were against Seattle and KC, but still a nice run.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
Are you really blaming the team's early season struggles on Wood?
He certainly wasn’t helping the team early on and was even part of the problem, but he was hardly the main reason the team struggled.
Not the only problem
Schedule has been much easier, as I said 10 games were against the Mariners and Royals. Starters have been going deep into games, which takes pressure off the bullpen. No, we can’t blame it all on Wood, but let’s face it, he was awful.
The Izzy/Frandsen platoon should give us a .360 OBP from the 3B spot. It’s nice to have a lineup without an automatic out again (at least when Q doesn’t play).
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Jun 14, 2010 5:52 PM PDT up reply actions
What happens when Kaz "roars back"......or S-Rod reverts back to May?
are we gonna revist this?
Chan Gailey's #1 Fan!
by norcaliangelsfan on Jun 14, 2010 5:27 PM PDT reply actions
Kazmir isn't unlucky here
This is not like the July/August stretch where Jered Weaver pitched like crap, for no apparent reason, but once that stretch was over he was fine again. Kazmir simply isn’t as skilled as he was from 2005-2008. His fastball has lost about 4 MPH in that time.
If he gets back to throwing 94-95 and striking out 10 batters per game, we’ll have an outstanding pitcher that we’re paying 12 million for in 2011. What is the chance Kazmir has that in him? I wouldn’t put my money on it.
The HK-47 hitting droid is the finest line drive machine ever built
by RallyMonkey5 on Jun 14, 2010 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions
If hes getting outs........and the team wins the game he starts.....
I consider that worth the price of the money……….I dont care how fast he throws the ball and how many he strikes out.
Chan Gailey's #1 Fan!
by norcaliangelsfan on Jun 14, 2010 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions
And that's kind of the problem
He can only get you enough outs to last 5-6 innings a game. Even in his best seasons he was terribly inefficient. At least when he was striking everyone out he wasn’t allowing many runs. If he doesn’t rediscover at least some of that old velocity, he is not likely to get much better from here on out.
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