The Thread in which we post LF'ers we should go after

[TGO]

I like Willingham, too, NJOFan. The Marlins apparently think they are still contenders, though, so if they dealt him I have to think it would be for pitching help. Maybe as part of a Buehrle deal. They are also a little weak in the OF so they may just as soon keep Willingham.

[davearm]

I thought this thread was about what left fielders we wanted not about whether Rob or Dave can piss further than the other.

So.......

The guy I would really love to have on this team is Josh Willingham.

He is 28, a very good on-base guy, with very good pop. His numbers would go up from Florida to OPACY. Good big right handed cheap bat. He would also serve as an emergency catcher, if that is even important. I don't know what it would take to get him but I think Reimold has an upside of becoming a little better than Willingham so I would be willing to deal Reimold and J.J. Johnson to get him.

Hey Florida, we've got this guy that's real injury prone playing at AA that we think someday might possibly be as good as your guy Willingham.

Wanna trade? We'll even throw in a pitcher that you can slot right into the back of your AAA rotation!

[Migrant Redbird]

Don't believe it, Rodriguez and Ludwick are old AAAA players.

Here's what Rodriguez did in the major leagues the last 2 years at ages 26 and 27. I think that's a little bit above the "quad A" level. Problem is, with Edmonds and Duncan, the Cardinals were (and still are) overstocked with left handed hitting outfielders.

Year Ag    G   AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO  BA   OBP  SLG  OPS OPS+ 2005 27    56 149 15 44  6  0  5  24  2  0 19 45 .295 .382 .436 .818 113  2006 28   102 183 31 55 12  3  2  19  0  0 21 45 .301 .374 .432 .806 109  2 Seasons 158 332 46 99 18  3  7  43  2  0 40 90 .298 .378 .434 .812 110 

The Cardinals offense would have benefitted significantly with those numbers the last 3 seasons in place of So Taguchi or Juan Encarnacion, if Rodriguez could have sustained that level. I suspect the O's could have used him as well; the only position on the O's with that good an OPS was shortstop.

Rodriguez is also a little defensively challenged. How well he stacks up against Duncan, I couldn't say, but any center fielder playing between them better have good wheels.

Ludwick isn't a "quad A" player either; he's a highly regarded 2nd round draft choice whose progress was derailed by injuries. Whether he's past those injuries and prepared to be a regular major leaguer, it's difficult to say. Derrick Gould, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Ryan Ludwick, then a Cleveland outfielder a few days removed from cranking out 21 RBIs for the Indians in August 2003, slid back into first base and jammed his kneecap. Seemed he'd miss a few days, at most.

Then "jammed" became dislodged and dislodged became gruesome as his kneecap actually was ripped from its moorings. Two knee operations, one lost job and 3½ years later, Ludwick has hit his way back to the majors, with the Cardinals, and has a clearer view of how fleeting these swings can be.

"I've got nothing to lose. I've been here before and I got hurt and I feel like this could be my last opportunity," Ludwick said. "You never know how many chances you're going to get. I'm just trying to take advantage of it."

Obviously, there's a degree of risk on any outfield prospect panning out, as fans of Luis Matos, Alex Ochoa, Jeffrey Hammonds, Gene Kingsale, and Larry Bigbie could tell you -- although the Markakis faithful would like to forget that unpleasant reality. The O's have a little experience with players developing a little later than the typical prospect does, as witness Melvin Mora and Eric Byrnes.

Ankiel has a .311 OBP in the PCL as a 28 year old.

You can't really judge Ankiel by the standards of an ordinary outfield prospect. He had fewer than a hundred plate appearances by the end of his rookie season and 84 of those were against major league pitchers, but he still hit .250 with 2 home runs as a rookie pitching sensation back in 2000. He didn't convert over to the outfield until 2005 and played much of that season as a DH because of a leg injury, then sat out the entire 2006 season on the DL. Entering the 2007 season, he had fewer than 500 at bats as a professional baseball player, but 96 of his plate appearances were as a major league pitcher. Scouts have called him the best athlete in the Cardinals system and there's not a doubt in the world about his ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He hasn't got enough experience as a professional hitter to project whether he can handle major league pitching once opposing pitchers get a book on him and feed him a steady diet of breaking stuff.

I say that he's going to make it if he doesn't encounter more injuries, but there's no way to prove that until he's actually done it.

Rasmus however appears to be a very good prospect.

Rasmus is the best prospect in the Cardinals system, but he's yet to prove that he can translate that to success at the triple A level, much less the majors. Obviously, the betting is that he will, but we'll have to wait and see, won't we?

[slaphitter]

WTF do I know about any TRUE ( clean and pure of illegal substances ) LFer's ?!?!?

Heck , two years ago I was clamoring for a straight up Gibbons for Mench trade. Those two drug munchin'/shootin' wanna be stars had my attention. My money was on the stumbling Mench as opposed to the bumbling and stumbling oft injured Gibbons.

I was WAAAAAYYYYY off.

I'd like someone like Payton , except he DOESN'T act like the sun rises and sets upon his will. Gimme Jacque Jones ? Gimme Blake ? Gimme Kinkade ? How about Byrnes? All these names look familiar. Hmmmmmmmm , I heard that none wanted to leave the org. , Hmmmmmmmm again.

I'd lose Tejada and trade for Greene the SECOND he becomes available. Greene will be a star for years to come. He's still learning to hit with a wooden bat and SLUGGING the heck out of the ball. Great range ,strong arm and future GGer. Just my opinion.....

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[NoVaO]

Not me...Much rather have Reimold.

Willingham would be a nice pickup but i venture to guess you can find alot of guys like him in the minors.

I mean, how much more would he give you than Knott would over the same amount of abs?

I would much rather have Willingham. Check his home/road splits. His minor league numbers are dominant. They are better than Knott's at the same level and age to go along with less minor league ABs.

How good do we expect Reimold to become?

In any case, I don't see the Marlins making this deal. I can see them trading him once he reaches arbitration years, which won't be for another year or two.

[Ralph]

I would much rather have Willingham. Check his home/road splits. His minor league numbers are dominant. They are better than Knott's at the same level and age to go along with less minor league ABs.

How good do we expect Reimold to become?

In any case, I don't see the Marlins making this deal. I can see them trading him once he reaches arbitration years, which won't be for another year or two.

I actually think next year is his first year of arbitration because he spent all of last year in the majors and in 2005 he spent a couple of months on the major league dl which would count towards service time right?

[NoVaO]

I actually think next year is his first year of arbitration because he spent all of last year in the majors and in 2005 he spent a couple of months on the major league dl which would count towards service time right?

Not sure....I saw his service time on mlb4u.com and they said it was 1.135 (or something similar).