Keon Broxton acquired and more (DFA Broxton- Claimed by Mariners))

[foxfield]

26 minutes ago, Kaven5 said:

A twenty nine year old cf, with a career .216 BA,  that strikes out over 40% of the time shouldn't expect any chance for regular playing time.

 

Well for the rest of thej major league teams, even the Mets, that’s a fair statement. Right now a guy named Hanser Alberto is one of the Orioles best players. And he can’t even get one out on a routine ground ball with the bases loaded.  I’m pretty sure this guy will get a chance to play. His defense alone is an upgrade. Offensively, and that is such an ironic word here, if he hits his ML average he will be used at least against lefties. 

Dont get me wrong, it ain’t gonna move the dial. But I’m all for rosterbating until we can acquire help. Your point illustrates just where we are. And that’s a team who can give reps to guys others would just as soon release. 

[Enjoy Terror]

28 minutes ago, foxfield said:

Dont get me wrong, it ain’t gonna move the dial. But I’m all for rosterbating until we can acquire help. Your point illustrates just where we are. And that’s a team who can give reps to guys others would just as soon release. 

Lots of guys in the league with the wrong coaching, the wrong scenery, the wrong approach, the wrong opportunity (or lack thereof) and sometimes just having someone else give a second opinion is the difference in a career. Jake Arrieta and Chris Davis are two such examples.

I’m pleased to see that we’re going to give Broxton a shot. I have zero expectations for him. 

[Sessh]

I don't mind giving Broxton a chance. Nothing to lose at all and I like that we are focusing more on speed generally.

As for Cobb, not surprised at all. He's been extremely fragile his whole career and has not been the same pitcher since missing all of 2015 and most of 2016 due to injury. He's had good stretches, but has never been able to stay healthy ever. If he was elite, he wouldn't be in Baltimore right now because another team would have signed him long before he fell to us. We're seeing why. It was just another bad decision from the previous regime and I don't expect we'll be getting much if anything for him. We're likely stuck with him for the duration of the contract like we are with Davis.

[scOtt]

7 hours ago, Gus said:

Broxton highlight video - looks great in center - home run stealer, maybe that is why they grabbed him.....

 

Mullins has speed too, which makes him decent. On every one of those Broxton takes a really good angle to the ball as well. Can't really teach that.

[Cumberbundy]

54 minutes ago, scOtt said:

Mullins has speed too, which makes him decent. On every one of those Broxton takes a really good angle to the ball as well. Can't really teach that.

You can teach a horse to fish but if you feed him daily he will be well fed if the portions are healthy.

[Sessh]

8 hours ago, Gus said:

Broxton highlight video - looks great in center - home run stealer, maybe that is why they grabbed him.....

 

So, great defender. Home run power to all fields and uses all fields. Showed the ability to take walks in the minors and was decent in that area in 2016. If 2016-type production is the best he can do plus the glove, we could do worse. Lottta K's though. Just unscientifically estimating if the 2016 production were extended to a full season, he'd have around 25 doubles, 25 home runs, 80 walks, 200+ K's, 45 steals and maybe 3 triples and the 107 OPS+ is fine too. Nothing spectacular, but if he can maintain that, it would be a great addition. Can he? Seems unlikely, but we'll see. It would be nice, though. I hope he gets an extended look in the lineup and he's elite defensively in center. Let's see what happens.

[sportsfan8703]

14 hours ago, interloper said:

lol

Pretty sure that @Can_of_corn “won” the thread back on page 1, but this is pretty damn funny from Villar. 

Never thought I’d be saying this, but where does Stevie Wilkerson play?  Platoon with Alberto at 2B, with Villar at SS?  Maybe it won’t be an issue too long, have they tested Stevie boy recently?

[sportsfan8703]

12 hours ago, wildcard said:

I am not in sync with Elias these days.   And he is smarter so take this with the smallest grain of salt.

 

3) I like Ramirez better than Shepard so I don't like this move.

4) I don't think Ramirez makes it through waivers and he is probably traded before he is waved.   Ramirez has options and should be attractive to someone on their 40 man roster.

5) Shepherd has to show something at AAA before he gets the call.

6) I know I am missing something because DFAing Ramirez appears to weaken the starter depth..

I never understood the whole keep the guys who are already “one inning relievers” in the MLB over the guy that has never gotten a shot in short stints with any regularity. So Ramirez isn’t a starting pitcher, well not many are on our 40 man. Why not DFA a guy like Lucas, Phillips, Armstrong, etc... over him and see what Ramirez can do in one inning stints?  

Ramirez isn’t great. Maybe not even a MLB’r, but he’s better than some guys we kept. 

[Camden_yardbird]

5 hours ago, Sessh said:

So, great defender. Home run power to all fields and uses all fields. Showed the ability to take walks in the minors and was decent in that area in 2016. If 2016-type production is the best he can do plus the glove, we could do worse. Lottta K's though. Just unscientifically estimating if the 2016 production were extended to a full season, he'd have around 25 doubles, 25 home runs, 80 walks, 200+ K's, 45 steals and maybe 3 triples and the 107 OPS+ is fine too. Nothing spectacular, but if he can maintain that, it would be a great addition. Can he? Seems unlikely, but we'll see. It would be nice, though. I hope he gets an extended look in the lineup and he's elite defensively in center. Let's see what happens.

If you told me my CF played elite defense, hit 25 dingers and had 40 SB I would say that's pretty spectacular.  List the guys who have done that in the last ten years.

That said, I think he could end up being a weak version of a player Elias had in Hou, Jake Marisnick.

[interloper]

13 hours ago, wildcard said:

I am not in sync with Elias these days.   And he is smarter so take this with the smallest grain of salt.

1) I think Broxton is a platoon CF playing vs lefties.  He has hit them in the past.   He will replace Wilkerson for defense late in games.  He is a good pinch runner.  Wilkerson is hitting as the O's CF vs righties.  But does not hit lefties well.

2) I think Rickard is optioned.

3) I like Ramirez better than Shepard so I don't like this move.

4) I don't think Ramirez makes it through waivers and he is probably traded before he is waved.   Ramirez has options and should be attractive to someone on their 40 man roster.

5) Shepherd has to show something at AAA before he gets the call.

6) I know I am missing something because DFAing Ramirez appears to weaken the starter depth.

7) Cobb can not be activated until June 26th.   Pretty hard to trade him by July 31st.

This is where I'm at. Would love to know more about this particular move, and the reasoning behind it. Ramirez can at least be an emergency starter. He might make it through and be assigned to AAA, but then to use him you have to put him back on the 40-man. It's odd. 

[MarCakes21]

14 hours ago, wildcard said:

I am not in sync with Elias these days.   And he is smarter so take this with the smallest grain of salt.

1) I think Broxton is a platoon CF playing vs lefties.  He has hit them in the past.   He will replace Wilkerson for defense late in games.  He is a good pinch runner.  Wilkerson is hitting as the O's CF vs righties.  But does not hit lefties well.

 

Yea but remember when Broxton was being talked about like this after his rookie season:

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/how-keon-broxton-looks-like-the-brewers-best-player/

 

Crazy high exit velocities, plays center like Cain, hits like Chris Carter (lots of hard hits lots of Ks), oh yea, and he can run.  The tools are there, though he's now older.  Let's see what plays.  No harm in this one.

[Frobby]

14 minutes ago, MarCakes21 said:

Yea but remember when Broxton was being talked about like this after his rookie season:

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/how-keon-broxton-looks-like-the-brewers-best-player/

 

Crazy high exit velocities, plays center like Cain, hits like Chris Carter (lots of hard hits lots of Ks), oh yea, and he can run.  The tools are there, though he's now older.  Let's see what plays.  No harm in this one.

The bar is low.

1.   Is he a real CF, as opposed to someone pretending to play the position?    Yes.

2.   Can he hit better than Mullins’ .094/.181/.156?   Undoubtedly.

3.   Can he hit better than Rickard’s .203/.304/.347?    I’m not sure, but he’s probably enough of a defensive upgrade to be more useful than Rickard even if he doesn’t outhit him.   

As to point 1, I mean no disrespect to Stevie Wilkerson.    He was put in an unfair position and has done a credible job considering his lack of experience in CF and as an OF in general.    

[wildcard]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The bar is low.

1.   Is he a real CF, as opposed to someone pretending to play the position?    Yes.

2.   Can he hit better than Mullins’ .094/.181/.156?   Undoubtedly.

3.   Can he hit better than Rickard’s .203/.304/.347?    I’m not sure, but he’s probably enough of a defensive upgrade to be more useful than Rickard even if he doesn’t outhit him.   

As to point 1, I mean no disrespect to Stevie Wilkerson.    He was put in an unfair position and has done a credible job considering his lack of experience in CF and as an OF in general.    

Looks like they are going to give him playing time in center.   He will be an upgrade defensively.  But after a while they are probably going to get tired of him not hitting.  Then he become a backup CF, platoon guy vs lefties and pinch runner.  Which is fine.  He is an upgrade over Rickard. 

He would be great if he could hit.

[Moose Milligan]

15 hours ago, wildcard said:

I am not in sync with Elias these days.   And he is smarter so take this with the smallest grain of salt.

1) I think Broxton is a platoon CF playing vs lefties.  He has hit them in the past.   He will replace Wilkerson for defense late in games.  He is a good pinch runner.  Wilkerson is hitting as the O's CF vs righties.  But does not hit lefties well.

2) I think Rickard is optioned.

3) I like Ramirez better than Shepard so I don't like this move.

4) I don't think Ramirez makes it through waivers and he is probably traded before he is waved.   Ramirez has options and should be attractive to someone on their 40 man roster.

5) Shepherd has to show something at AAA before he gets the call.

6) I know I am missing something because DFAing Ramirez appears to weaken the starter depth.

7) Cobb can not be activated until June 26th.   Pretty hard to trade him by July 31st.

He's got a 6.97 ERA this year.  There's no depth.  

[wildcard]

So why Chandler Shepherd?   How is he better than Ramirez?