Roch: Matusz Traded (along with draft pick)

[webbrick2010]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Neither P the Orioles just received for Matusz was in the Braves' top 30 prospects per <a href="https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica">@BaseballAmerica</a></p>? Steve Cockey (@BMoreBaseball) <a href="

">May 24, 2016</a></blockquote>

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and two years ago, BA had Dylan Bundy as the O's #1

and Tyler Wilson and Mike Wrigtht are in the starting rotation

and Josh Hader is invincible at AA, throwing in the high 90's and striking out close to two an inning

[Bird Dog]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Neither P the Orioles just received for Matusz was in the Braves' top 30 prospects per <a href="https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica">@BaseballAmerica</a></p>? Steve Cockey (@BMoreBaseball) <a href="

">May 24, 2016</a></blockquote>

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Great deal for one of the worst pitchers in MLB.

[Rene88]

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[Can_of_corn]

Barker might be top 30 in our system. Any word on what these guys throw or do I need to read back more?

I haven't even looked at them.

Hopefully they are move than the chaff the Dodgers included in the last draft pick sale.

But I think it is very unlikely even by prospect standards that they do anything in the majors.

[Rene88]

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[Aristotelian]

I had a huge problem giving up the #14 pick to sign Gallardo. I'm OK with losing #76, getting rid of Matusz and his salary, two decent pitchers back, and a roster spot. While I agree DD deserves to take some heat for losing draft picks, these moves are not remotely comparable.

[LookitsPuck]

Great deal for one of the worst pitchers in MLB.

Great deal for Atlanta. Basically they trade organizational filled and salary that they don't need this year for a draft pick. They'll just DFA Matusz. This says everything about the Braves intentions. They don't care about Matusz. They essentially bought a pick. And this is the 3rd comp pick Duquette has traded.

[Can_of_corn]

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Obviously the Braves rate him a lot lower.

[Rene88]

I had a huge problem giving up the #14 pick to sign Gallardo. I'm OK with losing #76, getting rid of Matusz and his salary, two decent pitchers back, and a roster spot. While I agree DD deserves to take some heat for losing draft picks, these moves are not remotely comparable.

I concur sir. Glad we have more flexibility in the pen.

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[Can_of_corn]

Great deal for Atlanta. Basically they trade organizational filled and salary that they don't need this year for a draft pick. They'll just DFA Matusz. This says everything about the Braves intentions. They don't care about Matusz. They essentially bought a pick. And this is the 3rd comp pick Duquette has traded.

They already did.

They let it leak a few weeks ago that they were in the market for bad contracts w/attached comp picks.

I've been nervous ever since.

[sportsfan8703]

Barker is listed at 6’3″ and 200 lbs., and I’d say that’s fairly accurate. Interestingly, he has fairly long legs for a guy who’s 6’3″, so that allows him to really have good control over his mechanics because he bases his pitches from his legs in his motion. Barker uses a three-pitch mix with a fastball that sits in the 89-93 range, touching 94 at its absolute peak, along with a change-up and a curve ball. He’s actually added roughly 5 MPH since he came into the Braves organization, which certainly doesn’t hurt his success he’s had.

Along with long legs, Barker also has long arms, and you notice this in his motion. He’s in good control of his body throughout his motion, but the length and relative lean-ness of his limbs make them seem quite quizzical as he moves through his motion. He has a steady motion that results in an over-the-top delivery with a high leg kick to finish each pitch. In spite of that high kick, Barker finishes the kick quickly and is in good fielding position by the time the ball is to the plate.

Barker can get hit hard when he misses with his pitches, so his location is absolutely key. He missed in one game on three pitches in a row on a fairly innocuous hitter, and the guy hit the first two foul, but even a poor hitter in the minors can do something with pitches of Barker’s velocity when he misses, and the third miss ended up one-hopping the wall for a double. He does get strikeouts by using his fastball up in the zone in the midst of pounding the zone low, especially when pounding the zone low with a number of change ups and fastballs and getting the hitter looking down in the zone. Barker also plays his fastball to change-up extremely well.

The curve ball is the real wild card. It has a 12-6 motion to it, but when it’s really on, he can snap it off starting at a hitter’s chest and finishing at his mid-shin, which is simply unhittable. Typically, though, it’s more of a single plane movement, frequently being a pitch he can throw high in the zone to adjust a batter’s eyes, with a movement from the chest to belt line, which with his excellent location, he does a good job of keeping away from the center of the plate. What’s really interesting is that he showed a pitch a few times that moved different, and it was only thrown maybe a handful of times each game at most, but that pitch dove down and away from righties and down and in on lefties, and it hung over the middle of the zone in its path just long enough for a hitter to think he had a chance, but I don’t recall it once being hit. It behaved like a 1-7 curve, but it also had a bit more zip than his usual curve as well. If he can sequence his good blend of fastball/change-up with two different moving curve balls, he’s really got something to work with.

All credit to...

http://tomahawktake.com/2016/01/19/atlanta-braves-righty-brandon-barker-scouting-report/2/

[LookitsPuck]

So annoying. So Duquette tenders Matusz a contract, gives him about 7 weeks to rehab and pitch...and then essentially gives a comp pick to someone else to take him. It's robbery.

[Go_Os]

Barker's numbers as a RHSP in AA look pretty good, as do Belicek's as a LHRP in A Adv. Both guys are progressing pretty well for 16th rounders, IMO. I don't know. These two and $3.9 million for the 76th pick doesn't look like a disaster to me.

It's a fair trade. The Braves messageboards I've read don't like the trade if that makes anybody feel better. Looks to me that both have the potential to be useful bullpen arms within 1-2 years

[thezeroes]

19 of the 51 players drafted at Number 76 ever made it to the MLB.

Giancarlo Stanton 25.8 WAR

Marquis Grissom 29.4 WAR

Chase Utley 63.7 WAR

These are the only three that make the overall WAR average for MLB Player as high as it is at 7.2. Subtract these three players from the Overall WAR and you get an average of 1.7 war for the remaining 16 MLB players or just over Ten Million Dollars per MLB player from that slot in the draft. Brian Matusz alone has exceeded the dollars the oick is worth and is noe not being paid by the Orioles. Brian Gone, A slot on the Twenty-Five is Open, A slot on the Forty is open. Win, Win, Win.

[Can_of_corn]

It's a fair trade. The Braves messageboards I've read don't like the trade if that makes anybody feel better. Looks to me that both have the potential to be useful bullpen arms within 1-2 years

I don't know why they wouldn't.

They bought a draft pick.

What isn't to like.

My friend who is a Braves fan is going to be pleased.