So this isn't a new series that TCB is kicking off, but I expect we'll see more of these. The genesis of this post came from an email I sent to the other writers this morning, discussing a few points on the winter meetings that interested me. Our fearless cabin boy, Tim, suggested I post my thoughts to the masses and allow y'all to discuss them in committee.
If you haven't yet been exposed to the fine work of the journalismists over at MLB Trade Rumors, you should bookmark their site. This morning, Zach Links posted a Winter Meeting Day 1 recap, and I saw several things that made me go, "hmm." Here they are, in no particular order:
- There is a complete lack of rumors from the Astros, other than to say that other teams might be interested in Lucas Harrell. As a writer, I hate that. But as an objective observer of the team's operations, I love it. Surprise deals are fun, but it also means that the front office is disciplined. By the way, TCB's other Perry covered the Harrell rumors earlier this morning in his own, Astros-centric Day 1 recap.
- The Marlins want to trade Logan Morrison, as if he's a significant piece. If he weren't a Twitter junkie and grabbed headlines through general douchebaggery a couple years ago, would anybody even know who he is? He's a career .249/.337/.424 hitter. In other words, only a slightly better hitter than J.D. Martinez, who wasn't good enough to maintain even a 40-man roster spot on baseball's losingest club.
- Why aren't more teams interested in Stephen Drew? High walk rate, good power for the position, and good defense. You'd think he'd be on the hot list.
Here are a couple thoughts about Jonathans in the Winter Leagues:
- Kudos to Astros 1B Prospect Jonathan Singleton, who is currently hitting .283/.405/.565 in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente. He leads that league in Home Runs with seven (the player with the next-highest total has five) and OPS (.971). There's not much of a predictive takeaway from this - the pitching in the winter leagues absolutely stinks. Sloppy fastballs and un-commanded curveballs yield plenty of opportunity. The good news is, Singleton is doing exactly what the top prospect at a position should do - hit the tar out of the ball in a weak pitching league.
- I hope I'm not a prophet. Astros shortstop Jonathan Villar's winter stats make him look over-matched...in Dominican Winter Ball, where he's hitting .264/.365/.389. I never liked him as a prospect, and I went against popular thought by saying so. Unfortunately, Villar hasn't taken any steps so far into proving me wrong. http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2012/11/29/3697896/one-writers-defense-of-his-prospect-ranks-part-ii As good as it is that Singelton is raking in the winter leagues, Villar is doing exactly what a MLB shortstop should NOT do - show a complete lack of hitting ability in a weak pitching league.
Feel free to discuss in the comments.