Hardball Times: Converted Pitchers

[weams]

http://www.hardballtimes.com/dereck-rodriguez-a-symbol-of-change-for-converted-pitchers/

"So you think of the backup plan more than you used to," he said. "It's not just some washed out Triple-A guy. Your best chance to be successful after lots of people evaluate a player is to do it when he?s in his early 20s, not when he's getting ready to retire."

Almost always, however, these guys go on to be power relievers in the majors. The Colorado Rockies, for instance, signed and developed current Chicago Cubs middle reliever Pedro Strop as a shortstop. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Cubs set-up man Jason Motte as a catcher before putting him in the bullpen. Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Chris Hatcher was a catcher in the Marlins system before the Fish converted him in 2009.

The Dodgers have worked plenty of their own magic. In 2007, L.A. signed a power-hitting third baseman from the Dominican Republic named Pedro Baez. He flashed potential with the bat for a few years, getting all the way to Double-A in 2013 before the Dodgers realized he may have more value to them as a pitcher. They were right. Baez is now one of manager Don Mattingly's most reliable middle relievers."