Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Fort Wayne Wizards’

If this headline doesn’t read as a big fat red “DUH!” I don’t know what does. The statement is true no matter the day or time. However, it’s worth stating right now because the Padres are in the midst of utter turmoil adn an uncertain future. With that being the case, it is obvious that the San Diego Padres will be making moves and those moves might change and alter the potential futures of some former Fort Wayne Wizards.

Wiht the Winter Meetings kicking into gear this week, here’s what we know so far:

• Trevor Hoffman will not be the closer in 2009. This is probalby 99.9% certain. He has not signed with another team yet, so I guess there is a glimmer of a chance he’ll be back, but don’t bet on it. That means there will be an opening for a closer. I’ve speculated on this previously, and I probably didn’t give Heath Bell a fair look, but my money is still on former Wizard, Greg Burke.
• The rest of the bullpen needs a little shoring up too. Reliable setup man, Mike Adams is likely out until the All-Star Break, so there are some spots up for grabs there too.
• Kahlil Green will be the starting shortstop . . . for St. Louis (where he may be playing next to former Wizard, David Freese who went to the Cardinals as part of the failed Jim Edmonds experiment. Freese has a very good shot at playing with the Cards in 2009. Back in San Diego, they will need a new starting shortstop. Unless there is a trade, The heir apparent is Luiz Rodriguez, but don’t count out former Wizard, Sean Kazmar.
• Former Wizards Pitcher, Jake Peavy still has a good chance of being traded (most likely to the Cubs). But, even if he remains with the club, the team still needs pitchers to fill the number three and four slots (Chris Young at number 2 and Cha Seung Baek as the number five guy). If he is traded, that leaves three openings. Maybe one or two of those slots will get filled from the ranks of the minors, but I expect trades and/or Rule 5 Draft picks to be used here. Former Wizard, Wade LeBlanc is likely to earn one of the spots up for grabs IMHO. Former Wizar, Josh Geer also would be likely, but there’s a chance he may be heading for Tommy John surgery, which will kill his 2009 season (if anyone has any updates on this, please comment below). Former Wizard Mike Ekstrom may also be a dark horse contender.
• Former Wizard Jon Ellis are unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft and could potentially be snagged by other clubs. The sidearmer is an interesting gamble for a club who is willing to take a chance and I suspect he’s as good as gone.
• The catching corps is owned by former Wizards. Right now, it looks like the starting gig will go to Nick Hundley, with Luke Carlin serving as backup unless a veteran presence is added. Wonder why Colt Morton never gets much consideration. Jose Lobaton probably has a pretty solid chance and playing with the big club in 2009 too.
• Ironically, the Padres seem to have an excess of outfielders. This time last year, they were converting former Wizard, Chase Headley from third base to outfield. Now, they have Headley, and fellow former Wizard Will Venable to slot into the outfield with Scott Hairston, Brian Giles and Jody Gerut. Couple that with an emerging former Wizard outfielders Drew Macias and Chad Huffman, and you have a couple odd men out (yes, that’s seven guys for three slots). It’s still likely that Giles will get traded (proably during the 2009 season). Moving Headley back to third and trading incumbant third baseman Kevin Kousmanoff is an option, but not one that the club seems to endorse.
• Second basse and first base seem to be in good hands with Edgar Gonzales and Adrian Gonzales respectively. Former Wizard Matt Antonelli might serve as a backup or utility player at second. If San Diego doesn’t move Adrian and he stays healthy, first base remains blocked for uber-prospect Kyle Blanks, so you may see him traded. But I suspect Blanks will play a full season at triple-A in Portland and then the club with consider their options at first for 2010.

So there you have it. The Padres season outlook remains dim, but the bright side is that they don’t have a lot of bad contracts and they are in a highly winable division if the Dodgers don’t run away with it early. Methinks, barring any huge trades to fill holes in the field, suspect we’ll see a roster witha lot of former Wizards.

Former Wizards pitcher, Travis Chick has signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Dogers.

“I’m excited about playing for the Dodgers,” he said in a phone interview. “I have played against Los Angeles teams in both the Southern and Pacific Coast Leagues and have seen that they are well-coached.” He turned down a number of other offers to sign with the Dodgers [MadFriars.com h/t LADugout.com]

Should be a year of opportunity for Chick. For more on the career of the oft-traveled 7-year minor league, check out the Wizards Where R They post I did on Chick last August.

Sandlot Swashbucklers catches us up with former Wizards infielder, Luis Cruz, who is making his presence known in the Mexican League this winter. I look for him to be an everyday player in 2009. 

Luis Cruz has a 9-game hitting streak going, and he’s hitting .371 over those 9 games for the Obregon Yaquis.  His 4th inning double brought in two runs for Obregon on Nov 21st.  The next night, Cruz went 3-for-5.  He singled in the 1st inning rally, and singled again in the 7th inning, batting in the tying run for Obregon.  In the bottom of the 9th, Cruz hit the second of three consecutive singles in the game-winning rally.

See also: Luis Cruz’s MLB Debut

Most Padres fans have accepted the reality that the next phase of the San Diego Padres will not only be a dark one, but it will not include future Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman. Padres Ace and former Wizard, Jake Peavy will also likely be gone.

Can we say REBUILDING?

Obviously, the Padres troubled future will provide some opportunities for up-and-coming former Wizards. Look to see several take the MLB field in 2009. And look for it early. There will be many open positions, and I suspect all of them (except maybe first base) are up for grabs in an “open tryout” of sorts.

But the one we can say with about 99% certainty that will be available is the closer’s spot. Let’s look at the in-house auditions:

Padres MLB Roster: Hoffman collected 30 saves. No other pitcher collected even one. Heath Bell and Cla Meredeth had 6 and 7 chances respectively, but failed to convert. Apparently there is not anyone on the current roster is ready to step into the role.

Portland (AAA): The team leader in saves on the Triple-A level was former Wizar, Jared Wells, with 20. But he’s now in the Seattle organization (for the moment anyway). After Wells was traded, Edwin Moreno took over the closer’s spot. He collect 18 to go with the 8 he had in Double-A; making for 26 on the season. John Madden, who led the Wizards with 20 saves in 2006, pitched in releif for Portland in 2008, but had no saves.

San Antonio (AA): On the Double-A level, we find one of the most likely choices for the closer’s gig in former Wizard, Greg Burke. The Duke University grad went undrafted and signed with the Padres following a tryout camp 2006. In jus this third year as a pro in 2008, Burke collected 23 saves and a 2.24 ERA. He struck out 92 hitters and walked just 17 in 84 1/3 innings. The second highest save total on the team was Moreno’s 8 (see above). With the Wizards in 2006, Burke pitched middle relief and had no saves. Double-A to MLB is somewhat of a stretch, but Burke was invited to the Arizona Fall League and is starting to draw attention.

Lake Elsinore (High A) and Fort Wayne (Low-A): At Lake Elsinore, R.J. Rodriguez and Wilton Lopez each had a dozen saves to lead the team. Lopez had the edge in ERA, 2.64 to Rodriguez’s 4.92. And while Rodriquez might appear to have the advantage in strikeouts, with 79 to Lopez’s 26, Lopez pitched in a third of the innings that Rodriguez did (30.2 vs. 99). With the Wizards in 2007, Lopez had no saves, while Rodriguez paced the team with 18.

In Fort Wayne, the closer’s role of 2008  belonged to Jackson Quesada, who collected 27 saves, a 2.12 ERA and 79 strikeouts to 19 walks in 63 innings pitched. While he looks promizing, he is less experienced. I’ve seen more than one exciting closer come through Fort Wayne who didn’t pan out in the Majors. Matt Varner collected 34 saves in 2005. Anthony Kozol had 21 in 2002, Mike Bumstead had 17 in 2001. Perhaps the most promising I ever saw was J.J. Trujillo, who set a then Midwest League record with 42 in 1999.

To my knowledge, none of those pitchers are in any of the MLB farm systems. Leo Rosales and Dale Thayer led the Wizards with 26 in 2004 and 25 in 2003 respectively. Rosales made his MLB debut with Arizon in 2008 and Thayer is on the verge after having been a Triple-A All-Star in the Tampa Bay system in 2008. Hwoever, neither are on a track to be a closer (Thayer is probably the more likely of the two).

All that said, it’s not unheard of for a Single-A pitcher to go to the big leagues the following year. Former Wizard, Joakim Soria did so. But something tells me, the Padres aren’t going to try it. Yet, speaking of Soria, maybe it’s possible for the Padres to make their own Rule-5 Draft steal like the Royals did when they snagged Soria.

Right now, my gut is telling me we’ll see Greg Burke get the first crack at taking hte mound in the ninth inning when the 2009 season kicks off.

Anyone want to agree or tell me why I’m wrong?

Free agency season is officially open and there are 171 players who have filed. Check that; 170 (reliever, Jeremy Affeldt just signed with the SanFrancisco Giants). I got to wondering about former Wizards who might be looking for new MLB homes. So I hoped over to ESPN’s Free Agent Tracker and dug a little bit. Here’s what I came up with:

• Chad Moeller; Catcher – Moeller is the classic veteran catcher. Due to several injuries throughout the Yankees catching corps., Moeller got the opportunity to play a lot in 2008.  Over 41 games (91 at-bats), Moeller hit .221 with one home run and 9 RBI’s. He’d be a good fit for a team looking to add a veteran presence to back-up an emerging young backstop. Methinks: San Diego Padres.
   
• Oliver Perez; Starting Pitcher – Perez has shown flashes of brilliance at times in his career, but has never been able to be anywhere near consistent. In 2008, he put together a 10-7 record and a .422 ERA with the Mets over 34 games. He led the league in bases on balls (105) and struck out 180 in just under 200 innings pitched. He is likely to be the most sought after former Wizard on the free agent list but I am not sure many teams are going to want to pay his likely asking price (he made $6.5 million in 2008 and is a Scott Boras client). Methinks: Texas Rangers.
   
• Juan Rincon; Relief Pitcher – Rincon was one of the last remaining Twins from their affiliation with the Wizards (Michael Cuddyer is the only remaining). The team cut ties with him during the middle of the 2008 season and he signed a minor league contract with the Indians and was promoted in July. He earned $2.475 million last year. The 29 year-old has 7 years of Major League experience and woudl serve a bullpen well. Methinks: Staying with the Indians.
   
• Luis Rivas; Shortstop – At one point in his career, Luis Rivas was a highly touted prospect of the Minnesota Twins. But injuries and bad luck brought him to Pittsburgh, where he battled for a roster spot, earning $525,000 which is quite a drop from the $1.6 millon he once earned. Whiles it’s a feelgood story of 2008, Rivas hit just .218 over 79 games with the Pirates in 2008, which isn’t going to position him well for future considerations. However, his varsatility in the infield does make him a little more marketable. Methinks: Minor League deal with the Nationals.
   
• Javier Valentin; Catcher – At 33 years of age, the reality is that the veteran catcher who has 9 years of MLB experience, is not going to have many more contract years ahead of him. Like Moeller, he makes a solid veteran presence in a situation where the every-day catcher is just coming of age. Methinks: Minor League deal with the Red Sox.

Note: LaTroy Hawkins would have been a free agent had he not reached an agreement with the Houston Astros.

There’s some sort of novelty about second generation baseball players that I seem abnormally attracted to following. I guess it’s the fact that baseball runs I the blood ffor those players an I somehow fantasize that the players really “get” the spirit of the game.

The most fabled, of course, are the likes of Bobby and Barry Bonds or Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. The Sandy Alomar and his son, Roberto and Sandy Jr. also immediately come to mind. In Fort Wayne, the baseball family ties run deep on the local level. I’ve e-mailed and spoken with men and women who have connected with their fathers and brothers (and on occasion, mothers) through baseball.

The Wizards have also had their share of second generation baseball players. I immediately think of Josh Barfield (Jesse’s son), Will Venable (Max’s son) and Fernando Valenzuela Jr. I’ve documented Josh Barfield and Will Venable considerably here on this site. So now, I want to turn my attention to Valenzuela.

The junior Valenzuela was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 10th Round (281st overall) of 2003 amateur entry draft after having played at UNLV. He signed and broke in his spikes with the Padre’s Low-A team in Eugene, seeing 73 games of professional action.

As a prospect, Valenzuela was said to have inadequate power and speed for a first baseman:

He should be able to maintain a good batting average and OBP at higher levels. But his swing is more of a line-drive stroke at this point, and his home run power hasn’t been good enough for a first baseman. He knocked just 11 homers last year, and with a career slugging percentage of only .391 so far, it remains to be seen how he’ll fit in at higher levels. He doesn’t run well enough to play the outfield, and he’ll have to boost his power production to remain a prospect as a first baseman [John Sickels, ESPN].

The following year, Valenzuela played the full season with the Fort Wayne Wizards and produced a solid showing that might have led one to predict a good future for the youngster. Valenzuela led the team with 148 hits while collecting 28 doubles and 81 runs batted. He slugged 11 home runs and produced a .295 batting average in a league that is typically dominated by strong pitching.

In 2005, Valenzuela was promoted to Lake Elsinore, where he produced pretty much the same results, with a slightly higher strikeout rate. Despite the showing, he was released, largely because he was blocked by other strong first base prospects in the system. In researching the timeline, it seems that the Padres were forced to decide between Valenzuela and Paul McAnulty. Had McAnulty not rededicated himself to the game and gotten into better shape physically right about that time, it is very likely the shoe would have dropped the other way.
Following his release for San Diego, the Chicago White Sox picked up Valenzuela. In 80 games with the Single-A Kinnapolis Intimidators, he collected 78 hits, 13 doubles, 9 home runs and 42 RBIs over 293 at-bats. But his average suffered at .266. He finished the 2006 season with Kinnapolis and was released the following spring.

In 2007, Valenzuela played 21 games with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association independent league. During the short stint, his bat came back to life; producing a .338 batting average that included 26 hits and 12 runs batted in over 77 at-bats.

2007 and 2008 also saw Valenzuela playing in the Mexican League, where he continues to produce at the plate. With Vaqueros Laguna in 2007, Valenzuela hit .349 with 37 hits, 11 runs batted in and 3 home runs over 106 at-bats in 47 games. With Leones de Yucatan in 2008, Valenzuela hit .314 with 34 RBI’s and 6 home runs over 242 at-bats in 77 games. His strikeout to walk ration is still pretty rugged (22:23 in 2008 and 10:16 in 2007), but he’s proven he can still hit the ball.

In case you are wondering, the Mexican League is considered a minor league organization. I contacted Fort Wayne TinCaps General Manager Mike Nutter for some assistance in understanding exactly how (because it is very rare that you’ll hear of a player begin “called-up” from the Mexican League). Here’s what he had to say on the matter:

The Mexican League is a member of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and has a Triple-A classification. However, its member clubs operate largely independently of the 30 Major League Teams.

Nutter also indicated that the Padres are among the MLB organizations who maintain a relationship with the league. For instance, both Oliver Perez and Joakim Soria have played in the league and are now Major Leaguers. For that reason, the league is listed in the international section of the Baseball America Directory.

So, while I would not look for it, there is a possibility that Valenzuela Jr. may again work in the farm system of an MLB organization. He is now on the other side of 25 and has never played above single-A ball. Given that he is a first baseman with not a whole lot of speed or versatility, Valenzuela’s MLB chance has likely have come and gone.

In case you are wondering, the McAnulty made his MLB debut in 2005, though he didn’t play much with the big club until 2008, when he appeared in 66 games for the Padres before being sent down to Triple-A Portland. He remains with the club, and while many predict his Padres career is over, the numbers he put up after his demotion might earn him a second look in 2009.

The Seattle Mariners have an opening for a manager. Former Wizards manager Randy Ready was named the Pacific Coast League’s “Best Manager Prospect” in August by Baseball America in their annual “Best Tools” Survey.

And now, he’s on the M’s short list of candiates. USA today is reporting that:

New Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik will hold seven interviews this week as he looks for a new manager.

Ready is on that list of seven. the others include former Seattle second baseman Joey Cora, Arizona third base coach Chip Hale, Boston third base coach DeMarlo Hale, St. Louis third base coach Jose Oquendo, Oakland bench coach Don Wakamtsu, and Boston bench coach Brad Mills.

Ready managed in Fort Wayne from 2004 through 2006 where he compiled a 208-209 record and reached the playoffs each season. He managed Double-A San Antonio to a 73-66 record and a Texas League championship in 2007. 2008 is his first stint as a Triple-A manager.

I believe Ready would be the first former Wizards manager to land the same role on a big league roster if he were to win the gig.

The Seattle Times also has a closer look at all the candidates.

Houston has been bandied about as a possible destination for former Wizards pitcher, Jake Peavy. However, today, Houston came to terms with another former Wizards pitcher; LaTroy Hawkins.

The Astros singed the 35-year-old right-hander to a one-year contract for $3.5 million plus incentives. He finished 2008 with a 3-1 record, one save and a 3.92 ERA over 57 relief appearances with the Astros and Yankees. After being traded from the Yanks to Houston, Hawkins went 2-0 with one save and a 0.43 ERA in 24 appearances. He allowed no earned runs over his first 22 games with Houston after practically being forced out of New York (an unfortunate reality circumstance that has followed him to pretty much every stop since he left Minnesota).

In 688 career games, including 98 starts, Hawkins is 59-77 with 76 saves and a 4.64 ERA. He has also played for the Twins (1995-2003), Cubs (2004-05), Giants (2005), Orioles (2006) and Rockies (2007) during parts of 14 Major League seasons.

LaTroy Hawkins made his Major League debut with the Minnesota Twins on April 29, 1995 after risign through the Twins’ farm system that included one of the most dominant seasons of any pitcher in Fort Wayne Wizards history. On that date, he becamse the first former Wizards player to debut at the MLB level.

More Hawkins’ Posts:

• Yankees Should Make Hawkins Their Set-up Man (5/31/08)
• LaTroy Hawkins Traded to Astros (7/30/2008)
• All-Time Wizards (8/24/2008)
• ‘zards Alumni

With us being on the verge of closing the book on the 2008 MLB year, I thought now would be a good time to introduce what is sure to be one of the biggest Wizards Alumni topics.

If you don’t maintain a blog about Fort Wayne Baseball or are not an avid fan of the San Diego Padres, you may not be aware that the Padres are considering dealing their ace, former Wizard Jake Peavy.

It’s certainly a notion the organization must consider. After a miserable season, rumors of a sale in the wake of an ownership divorce and what appears to be a conscious decision to rebuild with youth, Peavy would pretty much be a wasted talent for a large portion of his remaining contract; which runs through 2013. They might as well see what they can land on the market in terms of prospects who will be Major League ready when the team is ready to truly compete again.

The Friars initially courted five teams; Atlanta, St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros.

Reportedly, Peavy said at the regular season’s end that he would not consider waiving his no-trade clause for a trade to an AL team. He’d also require a full no-trade clause wherever he ultimately ends up.

Peavy, 27, has full no-trade rights through 2010 per the three-year, $52 million extension he signed in December. But in 2011 he can be traded without his consent to 14 clubs, and in 2012-13 can block a trade to only eight clubs.

“The Astros inquired about Peavy in July and appeal to the pitcher, whose close friends include Astros ace Roy Oswalt” [SignOnSanDiego]. However, before Astros fans even had a chance to get excited about the news, reports soon surfaced that it is unlikely Houston would have the pitching prospects that San Diego seeks in return.

The Atlanta Branves quickly emerged as a likley candidate to land the former Cy Young Winner’s services. However, Braves GM, Frank Wren, issued a statement to the Associated Press that insists the “Braves won’t trade their most valued prospects.” 

With the Cardinals choosing to decline their option on Mark Mulder and the uncertainty sorrounding the comeback of Chris Carpetner, one might speculate that St. Louis would at least have interest. A trade to St. Louis would probably take top prospect Colby Rasmus and two pitching prospects. That said, they are still not considered a serious contender:

…the Cardinals and Padres have had only one conversation concerning Peavy, and the discussion didn’t lead to any follow-up negotiations.  And so the chances of the Cardinals getting Peavy appear to be pretty cold right now. 

As for the Cubs, a deal involving Peavy does not appear likely, but Phil Rogers hints that GM Jim Hendry might try to pull off an Adrian Gonzalez for Derek Lee trade. I’ll file that in the “I’ll beleive it when I see it,” category. But now I am thinking of a rotation that starts with Peavy, Zambrano, and Harden!

I personally think they should make the trade if the Cubs would throw in Rich Hill or Sean Marshall. Then, they can flip Lee at the mid-season trade deadline for more prospects while bringing up Kyle Blanks for the rest of the season and have him ready to go as the incumbant first baseman in 2010.

As the Padres continue to explore other teams not on the initial list that Peavy indicated he’d accept a trade to, the Yankees have emerged as a slight possibility. But they would have to give up Phil Hughes; which the probably would not consider. The other New York team, the Mets have shown no interest in a deal.

And naturally, if the Yanks are intersted, so are the Boston Red Sox:

If the Sox were to include highly regarded first baseman Lars Anderson in a package with two of their best pitching prospects, talks between the clubs would certainly become interesting. But officials with other clubs believe the Sox consider Anderson to be virtually untouchable.”

Other AL teams that Peavy might consider include the Angels and Rangers – but they’d have to pay a steep price given his preference to remain in the NL. Yet and it is assumed that Peavy has already vetoed a deal to the Rangers. While the Padres insist they are in no hurry to deal the ace, others speculate it could happen as early as the Winter meetings.

Finally, while Peavy is not officially on the trading block, Padres’ GM Kevin Towers makes it no secret that he’s been talking to clubs in preliminary discussions. He plans to “slow things down” a bit and share his preliminary talks with Peavy and Peavy’s agent (Barry Axelrod) before getting into serious discussions.

But alas, many wonder why the Padres would consider trading Peavy when they have him under contract for so long and he’s been so good. The easy answer is money.  Peavy is to be $22 million in 2013, with a buyout worth $4 million.  

As the Padres move forward, they’re planning to put together a winning team. They beleive they have the position players in their farm, so they’re seeking some high-level pitching talent in return. Paul DePodesta explained it succinctly…

As far as Jake’s particular situation, we have him under contract for the next four years with an option for a fifth year. Our task, then, is to determine whether what we would receive in exchange for him would outweigh the benefits of having him for those five years (presumably some player(s) we would get in return could be of service for more than five years, so that needs to be factored in as well). Make no mistake, however – we place tremendous value on Jake’s presence here. That is why any offers for him in past years and every day up until this writing have been rejected.  

San Diego Padres beat writer, Corey Brock recently posted some mailbag questions and answers. His first discusses one of my all time favorite Wizards, Kyle Blanks, and his future for next season and as a potential trading chip down the line given that Gonzalez has the market on first base in SD:

Blanks had a big season with Double-A San Antonio, hitting .325 with 20 home runs and 107 RBIs to go with a .404 on-base percentage that certainly has many in the organization excited about the 22-year-old. This season came on the heels of a .301-24-100 season with Class A Lake Elsinore in 2007.

I would expect Blanks to begin the season with Triple-A Portland, where he will be tested in a veteran league much like Triple-A newcomers Matt Antonelli, Chase Headley and Nick Hundley were to start the 2008 season. Blanks could also be an attractive trade chip given that Gonzalez is 26 and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

Brock suggests that Mat Latos could see a return to Fort Wayne to begin next season (which I think is unlikely given he’s a California Florida kid and April in Fort Wayne is spine-tingling cold).

Among other former Wizards tidbits, he points out that the Padres are pretty happy with Nick Hundley as catcher but may still try to add a veteran presence (such as Brad Ausmus), and Jake Peavy being traded is still a possible scenario if the offer is right.