I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a safe and happy New Year! Thank you again to everyone for their continued support and participation in “The Diamond Cutter.”
To give you an idea of what is coming up to start the new year, we will be continuing the top 25 count down, the top five prospects for each organization and a new “interviews” section where I will be interviewing players, coaches and others who are part of the greatest sport on earth.
Again, please be safe tonight and I look forward to speaking with you all heading into 2009. And if you want to talk even more baseball, please join me on “The Diamond Cutter’s” Facebook page.
Happy New Year!!!
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | Facebook
NAME: Justin Smoak POSITION: First Base AGE: 22 | BATS: B | THROWS: L ORGANIZATION: Texas Rangers
2008 STATISTICS
LVL
AVG
R
HR
RBI
OBP
SLG
MiLB
.304
9
3
6
.355
.518
Scouting Report: What makes this kid so special is his incredible eye at the plate, especially for a power hitter, as he consistently drew more walks than strikeouts each year in college. Smoak also posses a very sweet and fluid swing with the ability to hit productively from both sides of the plate as well as having plus-power to all fields. He has outstanding bat speed and takes healthy cuts which together helps the ball jump off his bat. While he does a great job staying inside the ball, he may need to pull the ball more (something you don’t hear too often with power hitters) rather than trying to force things to other fields. Smoak’s power will translate well to the majors and has the potential to hit 35-40 as well as hit for a high average. He’s a player for the Rangers to start building around.
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | Facebook
The Big Unit moves home to San Fran (SD Dirk/flickr).
After a short break to celebrate the holiday with my family, I figured we’d jump back into things covering some recent signings and other miscellaneous happenings around Major and Minor League Baseball. Look for the top 25 list to continue tomorrow.
• Future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson will attempt to gain his elusive 300th victory back near his home with the San Francisco Giants as he signs a one-year deal for $8 million the day after Christmas. This is a great signing for the Giants who I have been very critical about in the past for horrible signings. This adds a third former Cy Young winner to be added along with Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito (even though he hasn’t looked anything like one since winning it). Not only will Johnson bring the attention to his 300th victory, the Giants also get a mentor for Lincecum and growing star Matt Cain. While this will help solidify their rotation, it still doesn’t help their flimsy offense which still needs a lot of help if they hope to contend in the NL West.
• The Cincinnati Reds pulled a head scratcher today in signing Willy Taveras to a two-year deal. While Taveras did have a decent 2007 hitting .320 and stealing 68 bases in 2008, he isn’t the great lead off hitter GM Walt Jockety makes him out to be. Sure he has blazing speed and stole 68 bases, but his OBP was only .308 last season and that’s the last issue you want your lead off hitter to have. The financial info on this deal hasn’t been released yet but hopefully the Reds received some sort of discount to warrant signing him for two-years.
• Minnesota Twins beat writer La Velle E. Neal III discussed the Twins signing of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Just like La Velle, I too am a little confused as to the Twins thoughts behind this. The Twins have a slew of youngsters that they could use as a spot starter or middle reliever and need to address a set-up man before anything else in their bullpen. Also Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune mentions the DeRosa to the Twins talks saying it would take “outfielder Ben Rivere [sic] and pitchers Jose Mijares, Jeff Manship and Andy Swarzak” to get the deal done. I don’t know if Rogers over values DeRosa, has no idea how good those prospects really are or is just delusional, but there is no way that a deal would involve a combination of those players. I want DeRosa on the Twins as much as anyone, but not at that ridiculous price.
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | Facebook
NAME: Tommy Hanson POSITION: Pitcher AGE: 22 | BATS: R | THROWS: R ORGANIZATION: Atlanta Braves
2008 STATISTICS
LVL
G
IP
W-L
ERA
SO
GO/AO
MiLB
25
138
11-5
2.41
163
0.71
Scouting Report: The Braves are hoping this tall, lanky right hander turns out to be their future ace. Hanson has a plus-fastball with good movement in the mid-90’s, a solid change, and a “knee-buckling” curve that is one of the best in the game today to top things off. He has a very commanding presence on the mound which when coupled with the ability to throw all his pitches for strikes makes him very difficult to hit. I have seen some places that he may be given a chance to close first but I don’t see this happening considering he is looked at as a ace in the making and the Braves value starting pitching too much to do that.
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | thefranch15e
NAME: Chris Tillman POSITION: Pitcher AGE: 20 | BATS: R | THROWS: R ORGANIZATION: Baltimore Orioles
2008 STATISTICS
LVL
G
IP
W-L
ERA
SO
GO/AO
MiLB
28
135.2
11-4
3.18
154
0.82
Scouting Report: Acquired before last season in the Erik Bedard trade, he quickly jumped up to number two on my list in 2008 after joining the Orioles organization. But after the O’s drafted Matusz he was bumped down a little here in 2009. Right now Tillman looks to be a power pitcher with a fastball that sits 90-94 mph while at times reaching 96 mph. He also has a plus overhand 12-to-6 curve that falls in the mid-70’s with a nice sharp, late break on it. While Tillman does have a nice frame and mechanics, he will only be able to succeed in the Majors if he can begin to gain a little more control and command of his plus pitches. If he is able to continue to grow and develop in this area, he looks to be a solid number two starter or even a possible ace someday. Very impressive especially considering his age.
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | thefranch15e
Originally the highly anticipated Diamond Cutter Top 25 Prospects list wasn’t going to return until early January. But with Christmas almost here, I decided to pop the bubbly a little bit early and start rolling out the list beginning tomorrow, Christmas Eve.
The original version of the Top 25 list was presented in 2007 by five at a time beginning with numbers 21-25 and so on every couple of days. Then last year I just put it up all at once in one mega column. So for 2009 I decided to do it one a day starting with number 25 all the way up to this year’s number one prospect. Now if there is a day missing in between because I addressed another topic, please don’t come after my head. Rest assured it will be up the next day or even possibly later that same day. Either way, they will come.
Also as each new player is unveiled he will be moved to the home of the Top 25 list which can be reach anytime by clicking up at the top row or the logo in the side column. For those of you who are new to The Diamond Cutter, the list is updated each week throughout the regular season with a “Sunday Ranking Roundup” where we take a look at the list and how the players have fared as well as any changes in the rankings. This will begin sometime in mid-April.
I am really excited to start rolling this list out early this year since the previous two years I didn’t do it until February. This will give me time to fine tune things as we go too. The layout has changed again this year (for the better) as I know many of you enjoyed last year’s version. I hope you like it.
This list has brought in more traffic than any other part of this site. I try to have the most in-depth and most up to date list on the internet. Many other sites will have lists but they only rank players without any analysis as to why. This is something I take great pride in and I hope you continue to enjoy. And as always please share your thoughts on the list and any of the players on it.
So make sure to come back tomorrow and check out who just cracks the top 25 as the 25th prospect is revealed.
I also hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | thefranch15e
Furcal continues to spin his agent's wrong doings (Malingering/Flickr).
• The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached a three-year deal with catcher Ryan Doumit that will lock him up through his arbitration years. Last year Doumit had a fantastic year out of nowhere hitting .318/.356/.501 with 15 homers and 69 RBI. While my former MVN co-worker Cory Humes at Pirate Revolution believes the Pirates should trade Doumit (or hear his podcast about it), I personally believe that Doumit is an example of the type of player they need to begin to build around. With players like Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez coming up through the system as well other bright youngsters the Bucs need to start now rather than continuing to hit the “reset” button. I do however agree 100% with Humes that the Pirates should sign slugger Adam Dunn as part of the solution.
You know what you will get with Dunn (SD Dirk/Flickr).
• Speaking of the giant slugger Adam Dunn, why aren’t more teams interested in bringing him aboard this winter? Yes I know he had a strikeout rate of 25.9% last season and yes I know he won’t be winning any Gold Gloves in the outfield any time soon, but who couldn’t use his presence in the lineup? While his career average is .247, more importantly his career on-base is .381 and career slugging at .518. Plus you know he will be healthy and you will get 40 homers and 100+ RBI. So why do I keep hearing about teams not too interested in him or preferring a player who is a head case and will most likely miss 20-40 games a year? I would personally rather have Dunn or Pat Burrell over both Bobby Abreu and Milton Bradley. Call me crazy.
• I’ve already covered the Mark Teixeira saga enough on here by discussing where his options are as well as my annoyance about all the back and forth about who’s in and who’s out. I really hope Jon Heyman’s report on Teixeira’s decision coming by Christmas day is true as I can’t take much more. I think the scorecard has the Orioles, Nationals, Red Sox, Bears, Knicks and three teams from the WNBA as the top contenders.
• The New York Yankees and pitcher Chien-Ming Wang have avoided salary arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract thus insuring the Yankees the first ever 11-man starting rotation heading into the 2009 season. Awesome.
• And finally more on the Furcal vs. Braves situation as Furcal continues to lie about his agent’s dirty tricks. Even our poll on this site last week showed 100% of people believe Furcal and his agents screwed the Braves. Just stop talking about it Furcal, we know its not true.
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | thefranch15e
If teams were using Monopoly money, decisions would be so much easier (mtsofan/Flickr)
With the two most coveted pitchers, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, off the market and wearing pinstripes, the next top two names come with some concerns. The concern with Ben Sheets and Derek Lowe isn’t regarding how good they are, the concern is in two totally different realms.
As team’s budgets continue to dwindle thanks to the fear most have regarding our country’s economic crisis, more and more teams are becoming more frugal and even more cautious with where they spread their money. That’s why, despite how good they are, Sheets and Lowe are desired by many but held at an arms length.
As I mentioned, each player has a different risk looming in the shadows which is keeping teams at bay. Ben Sheets has a history of injury problems and Derek Lowe is getting older and looking for a longer term contract. So which of these two have less risk and more reward than the other? That’s what we’re going to try to take a look at today. Just which player will help your team more? Let’s take a look at the two cases:
NAME: Ben Sheets POSITION: RHP BORN: 7/18/1978 AGE: 30 BATS: Right THROWS: Right COLLEGE: Northeast Louisiana MLB DEBUT: 4/5/2001
2008 MLB STATISTICS
GM
IP
W-L
ERA
SO
K/PA
BsRA9
31
198.1
13-9
3.09
158
19.5%
3.56
When Ben Sheets is on the mound he’s been fantastic. The problem over his career has been keeping him healthy enough to be on the mound. Although he has missed time, the number of games has gone up each of the past three seasons. In 2006 he appeared in only 17 games, 2007 he found the mound in 24 games and a career high 31 times in 2008. So while the trend has gone up, the lingering worry still hangs over his head. Just ask the Brewers and their fans.
Although when Sheets is on the mound he’s a true ace. Sheets has a 3/4 arm slot delivery which produces an impressive fastball. The fastball sits in the low to mid-90’s with great life both up and down in the strike zone. Sheets also has the ability to locate his fastball consistently on both sides of the plate and even can add a little cut motion to it. The former Brewer also possess a huge plus-power curveball with a fantastic downward drop and a changeup with solid fading action which he disguises well with an arm speed similar to his fastball.
As you can see when Sheets is on and healthy he can be one of the best pitchers in the game. Sheets is also a great competitor and wants to win with everything he has. This makes him a great addition to any club. I’ve always enjoyed watching the righthander on the mound and I highly suggest trying to find an archived game somewhere on MLB.com or iTunes and checking him out.
(photo courtesy of: Scott Abelman/Flickr)
NAME: Derek Lowe POSITION: RHP BORN: 6/1/1973 AGE: 35 BATS: Right THROWS: Right COLLEGE: N/A MLB DEBUT: 4/26/1997
2008 MLB STATISTICS
GM
IP
W-L
ERA
SO
K/PA
BsRA9
34
211
14-11
3.58
147
17.3%
3.31
One thing about Derek Lowe is that he has been dependable. Lowe has pitched in at least 33 games each of the past four years for the Dodgers and put up very reliable stats. You know he’ll throw you 200+ innings, you know he’ll get you between 12-14 wins, you know his ERA will be around 4.00 and you know his ground ball percentage will be amongst the best in the league at around 65%. You just need to make sure you have a good infield to gobble up all those grounders.
To say that Derek Lowe is a ground ball pitcher is an understatement. He’s a ground ball machine. Lowe has a 3/4 arm slot which he produces his heavy two-seam fastball (between 86-91 mph) that has incredible run and sink and can be thrown effectively on both sides of the plate. If his sinker is off for whatever reason, he pays for it with a lot of long balls. To keep hitters on their toes Lowe throws a slider which has a quick, late break to get right handed hitters to chase off the plate and a fading changeup to keep left handed hitters off balance. This keeps a nice mix and helps him in jams even despite not being a strikeout pitcher.
Lowe is a very durable and reliable pitcher who has shown flashes of brilliance. He’s more of a middle of the rotation type guy, especially as he gets older, but can pass as a good number two starter. Any team that decides to sign Lowe has to realize at what stage of his career he’s in. He’s not going to be an ace and if his sinker starts to go so does he. While he would be a very nice addition to any rotation, you better first make sure your infield is solid or its a waste of money and you better not sign him for too many years.
(photo courtesy of: Malingering/Flickr)
After looking at what each of these pitchers brings to the table, its still not too easy of a decision to make. On one hand if you need an ace and can risk the possibility of losing him at any given point, Sheets is the way to go. On the other hand if you have a very good infield and need a number two or three starter who you know what you are getting, then your choice is Lowe. The decision is really based on what your team’s situation is.
If I had to pick one pitcher versus the other with no other deciding factor other than who they are I would have to go with Ben Sheets simply for the risk vs. reward factor. If Sheets can give you 30+ starts he will definitely be a big part in helping your team contend for the post season and that’s exactly what you want to set yourself up for.
Of course there is always that word “if.”
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | thefranch15e
Wilson voiced his frustrations for thousands of Bucs fans everywhere (urbansaddle/flickr).
As a new feature here on “The Diamond Cutter” we will be reviewing some of the things that are happening in baseball and around the blogosphere. You’ll see this pop up from time to time as I come across items in the news. It’s also a quick way to voice my opinions and ideas on topics without writing an entire column. So without further ado…
· As eager as I am to see where Mark Teixeira ends up, I’m getting a little tired of the whole hoopla around it. Now I know this is a big decision for him as its planning out where he will play for the next 7 or 8 years, but I really wish he’d hurry up and decide. I talked about his options earlier this week along with reasons why he should or shouldn’t sign with these teams. And of course ESPN chimed in yesterday saying Boston is out and today saying Boston may still be in. Please pick soon, Mark.
Furcal better watch himself in Hot-lanta (dizzy-eyed/flickr).
· The Atlanta Braves are furious with Rafael Furcal’s agents calling them “despicable” for the way they handled things. Brave’s Blog also chimes in on the status of the Braves and their need to reassess their team. Personally I have to agree with the Braves. It does sound as if Furcal’s agent pulled a screw job on Atlanta and threw a HUGE wrench in their off season plans. It was lining up to look as if the Braves had the ability to trade Yunel Escobar to the Padres now for Jake Peavy. This was especially important after losing AJ Burnett to the Yankees. Even if they didn’t trade the shortstop they still would have had another good bat in their lineup and burner on the base paths. I feel for Braves fans, I really do as they have had a giant disappointment this winter after having such high expectations.
· Jack Wilson let his frustrations be heard regarding the Pirates’ lack of competition for the past 17 seasons. His actions voiced frustrations of Pirates fans everywhere as well as indirectly asked the question of “why the hell haven’t you people traded me yet?!?!” The Bucs Dugout chimes in on Wilson’s rambling with a funny twist.
As a life long Twins fan, I'd love to see DeRosa in Minnesota (chicagoenergy/flickr).
· In the yearly quest to fill in a huge hole at third base, the Twins appear to be still showing interest in bringing in free agent Ty Wigginton to plug it until some prospects are ready. Both La Velle E. Neal III and Nick Nelson discuss this option and Nick brings up Mark DeRosa’s name as a potential trade target (which I would love). All I know is the Twins need to figure something out as this has been a problem for years ever since Corey Koskie left after the 2004 season.
That was a quick recap of some of the happenings around baseball and the internet. Let me know your thoughts on these stories and this new feature too. Also make sure to chime in on our poll below on the Braves/Furcal situation.
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | thefranch15e
Snider will be a masher in the middle of Toronto's lineup. (mwlguide/Flickr)
The Toronto Blue Jays have some very talented players in their organization. However they also have a lot of question marks. Of course Travis Snider leads the way as the organization’s top prospect, but after him things get a little foggy. After Snider the next four prospects (and a few after that) all have a very strong part of their game as well as a considerable weakness. While the skills are enough to get them to the Major Leagues, their weaknesses, if not improved, can hold them back from being a large contributor for the Blue Jays. But if they can work through them they will be big additions someday soon. Here’s a look at the Toronto Blue Jays’ top five prospects:
1.) Travis Snider Position: Outfield | Statistics | Video | 2008 Rank: #1 Bats: Left | Throws: Left | Height: 5-11 | Weight: 245 Scouting Report: Snider is best known for his powerful bat with the ability to hit it out of the park to all fields. His raw power is finally starting to translate more into home runs as his swing is becoming more fluid and his plate discipline is honed in. Fits the mold of a typical right fielder with good power, able to drive in runs and the weakness many hitters like him have in the form of too many strikeouts (has difficult time picking up breaking stuff from lefties). Snider is very athletic and while he has the bat to carry him in right field, there has been talk of him moving to first base. Snider also has been cursed with the injury bug thus far in his young career, but when healthy, he is a force in the lineup.
2.) Brett Cecil Position: Pitcher | Statistics | Video | 2008 Rank: #2 Bats: Right | Throws: Left | Height: 6-2 | Weight: 225 Scouting Report: While there is some debate on what role Cecil should play on a staff, the answer seems pretty clear that he is best fit to be the closer of the future for Toronto (or at least a very strong set-up man). Cecil has a decent fastball in the low-90’s which could use a little more velocity, however what makes him so special is his devastating slider. The slider (his out pitch) sits anywhere in the low to mid-80’s and is virtually unhittable to lefties. This is his money pitch that will get him to the Majors but he still needs a change-up to challenge righties as he currently doesn’t have something to challenge them. This may keep him from closing and at worst he will be a left handed specialist.
3.) David Cooper Position: First Base | Statistics | Video | 2008 Rank: NR Bats: Left | Throws: Left | Height: 6-0 | Weight: 210 Scouting Report: Cooper has a fantastic approach at the plate which allows him to be a consistent and productive hitter. His greatest asset is his plus power to all fields which he generates from a long and powerful swing. One thing you probably won’t see is a closet full of Gold Gloves in his closet by the end of his career. Cooper is an average first baseman who doesn’t have much range. But the Blue Jays, like anyone who would have drafted him, weren’t taking him for his defensive prowess as they wanted to get his big bat into their organization. He’ll hold his own at first as a pro and will be carried by that power.
4.) J.P. Arencibia Position: Catcher | Statistics | Video | 2008 Rank: #4 Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Height: 6-1 | Weight: 195 Scouting Report: Arencibia has received mixed reviews from many scouts regarding his glove. Some say he will be a fantastic catcher while others say he is horrible. As a former catcher I tend to be a little harder on catching prospects than most, but I would have to say his skills are a little below average and not as bad as some say (and are now better than my grading of him last year). While he’s very athletic behind the plate and has a rocket arm, he has trouble blocking pitches in the dirt and could use some improving on his game calling. He’s good enough to keep him back but what makes him so special is his bat. Arencibia has raw plus power but horrible plate discipline. He is too aggressive at the plate but if he can learn this and harness his power he will be a really good offensive catcher down the road.
5.) Justin Jackson Position: Shortstop | Statistics | Video | 2008 Rank: #5 Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Height: 6-2 | Weight: 175 Scouting Report: Jackson is a tough one to scout as he really hasn’t shown that much consistency to get excited about. He does have some raw skills that could be molded into something pretty good. Jackson has very good bat speed but his swings can be a little long and loopy at times causing some ugly contact. Doesn’t have good speed when he begins running but has good acceleration which will hamper him being a base stealer. Needs to get stronger and may move to third base due to a very strong arm. In fact, he has even done some relief pitching in the past so he always has that trick up his sleeve.
2008 Rankings: (1) Travis Snider, (2) Brett Cecil, (3) Kevin Aherns, (4) J.P. Arencibia, (5) Justin Jackson
By Matthew Whipps “The Diamond Cutter“ Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | thefranch15e
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"The Diamond Cutter" is an in-depth look at all of Major League Baseball and its prospects from writer Matthew Whipps.
About Author
Matthew Whipps is a baseball writer covering MLB and its prospects for his site "The Diamond Cutter." He used to have season press credentials with the Minnesota Twins which enabled him to get closer to the game than ever before and gave him an insight to the game he never thought he'd have. Matthew has written for Baseball Daily Digest, MVN and Bloguin as well as having had his work featured on Sports Illustrated, MLB.com and The Hardball Times.
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The Toronto Blue Jays have some very talented players in their organization. However they also have a lot of question marks. Of course Travis Snider leads the way as the organization’s top prospect, but after him things get a little foggy. After Snider the next four prospects (and a few after that) all have a very strong part of their game as well as a considerable weakness. While the skills are enough to get them to the Major Leagues, their weaknesses, if not improved, can hold them back from being a large contributor for the Blue Jays. But if they can work through them they will be big additions someday soon. Here’s a look at the Toronto Blue Jays’ top five prospects:
