First and foremost, I would like to thank Nathaniel for the opportunity to expand my role here on Call to the Pen. For the past five months, I have bringing you “Olde Man’s Tavern” and have submitted my “Picks of the Pen”. That’s pretty much been it. As Nathaniel stated, I will continue with the Tavern as I enjoy doing it.
Now that’s all done…
There’s been a slew of moves within the last week involving players being signed to minor league contracts. The signings I’m covering in this post grabbed my attention for a myriad of reasons. I’ve taken the liberty to attach a cornball title to each one. Bear with me. Here goes.
High Hopes – OF Jeremy Reed
I remember when Reed was the next big thing for the Seattle Mariners. In the minors, he consistently hit .300 or better. Had a decent arm and speed. The year of 2003 saw Reed named as the Chicago White Sox Minor League Player of the Year. In June of 2004, Reed along with Miguel Olivo and Mike Morse were sent to Seattle in exchange for Freddy Garcia, Ben Davis and cash. What made people take notice of Reed was his short stint toward the end of 2004. His splits were .397/.470/.466. Not bad for a guy with little pop. What also put Reed on the minds of Mariners fans was Baseball America. The publication had rated Reed as its 25th overall prospect for 2004 and 33rd for 2005. Those ratings and that 2004 finish placed high hopes for Reed…and pressure.
Reed as a Mariner when the hype machine rolled. (Image via Flicr by Baseball player photos)
The 2005 season wasn’t a failure for Reed. His splits for that season just didn’t come close to the hopes: .254/.322/.352. Plus, Reed was thought to have decent speed. Decent enough to be able to steal bases on a semi-regular basis. He managed 12 steals, but was caught 11 times. Maybe 2006 would be a bit brighter.
Not so fast. The injury bug clamped down hard on Reed. March saw a wrist injury. July brought a broken right thumb that would shelve him for the remainder of the season. Reed never thoroughly recovered and failed to make an impact for the Mariners again. He spent most of 2007 in Tacoma. The big move would come after 2008 as Reed was involved in a three team deal that delivered him to the New York Mets. The Mariners liked their end of the bargain as they landed a kid by the name of Franklin Gutierrez.
Reed’s days in a Mets uniform were few as he was granted free agency after 2009. The Toronto Blue Jays became is next team…for six months. He landed back with the White Sox in July 2010. Just a few days ago, Reed made the Milwaukee Brewers his fifth organization.
You might think Reed has a chance in Milwaukee. Well, not so sure. The starting spots rest Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Carlos Gomez. The Brewers also signed Mitchell Boggs in November. And don’t forget the acquisition of Chris Dickerson last season. Of those, only Dickerson and Gomez have options and I honestly don’t see Gomez being the one. Reed must show the Brewers what made him a top prospect in ’04 and ’05 to even see Miller Park on a regular basis.
Big Bat, but… – Chris Carter
Carter’s claim to fame might be that he was one of the PTBNL in the deal between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox that saw Billy Wagner in a Red Sox uniform. But he has another.
Year G PA AB R H HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG 2004 76 330 282 50 96 17 70 46 36 .340 .433 .592 2005 139 621 540 92 160 31 115 65 77 .296 .377 .531 2006 136 588 509 87 153 19 97 78 69 .301 .395 .483 2007 138 613 550 80 174 19 88 54 75 .316 .377 .504 2008 121 522 470 65 141 24 81 41 84 .300 .356 .515 2009 116 478 428 50 126 16 61 42 63 .294 .358 .465 2010 29 123 113 17 38 6 22 8 8 .336 .390 .611 7 Seasons 755 3275 2892 441 888 132 534 334 412 .307 .380 .514
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/25/2011.
Carter can hit the long ball, drive in runs, hit for average, take walks and manage his strikeouts. There’s only been one problem. Those are his minor league numbers. He hasn’t been able to transfer his bat to the major league level. Carter had never received a real opportunity until last season with the Mets. For the 2010 season he only managed 180 plate appearances in 100 games. Not a large sample. His splits were .263/.316/.389 with 4 HR and 24 RBI.
With Carter signing with the Tampa Bay Rays, I think he he has an outside shot. That’s all you can ask for, right? According to the Rays site, Dan Johnson is currently listed as the #1 at first base with Ben Zobrist at #2. But Zobrist is #1 at right field and Matt Joyce is the #2. If Carter can go to spring training and show the power bat he did in the minors, he could be no less than #2 at first. That would free Zobrist from having to spell Johnson unless absolutely necessary. Yes, Carter would have to make a position change, but he did play some first in the minors. We know that Joe Maddon like guys that can play multiple positions and Carter can.
Don’t Unpack – Nate Robertson and Willy Taveras
There’s a good reason these two should never unpack their luggage. They were always moving in 2010. The breakdown on Robertson.
Nate started the season as a member of the Detroit Tigers. At the end of March, he was dealt to the Florida Marlins (the team that originally drafted him) for prospect Jay Voss and cash considerations. For his time in Florida, Robertson pitched in 19 games (18 starts) and was 6-8 with a 5.47 ERA and a 1.495 WHIP. On July 21st, the Marlins designated him for assignment and was released a week later.
Robertson pre-moving days (Image via Flickr by lakelandlocal)
The beginning of August (the 2nd to be exact) was another new team, the St. Louis Cardinals. Robertson was assigned to the Cards Triple-A affiliate in Memphis. Three weeks later, Robertson exercised an opt-out clause. The very next day, Robertson signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils recalled Roberston for all of two games. His last game as a member of the Phillies was disastrous. He allowed six runs in 0.2 innings of work. Again, Robertson was designated for assignment. He failed to latch on with another team for the remainder of 2010.
To recap Robertson’s travels: Detroit to Florida (1,372 miles), Florida to Memphis (1,009 miles). Memphis to Lehigh Valley (1,011 miles). Lehigh Valley to Philly (59 miles). All total equals 3,451 miles. Imagine to stickers on those suitcases.
The Seattle Mariners came calling an signed the lefty to a minor league deal. You might think the M’s are in desperate need of arms. Maybe not as much as you think. Felix Hernandez is coming off a Cy Young season, Doug Fister and Jason Vargas showed improvement last season, Erik Bedard is back (health concerns) and the trio of David Pauley, Luke French and rookie Michael Pineda look to compete for the #5 spot in the rotation. It’s not deep, but it holds some potential.
As for Taveras…
Taveras did a bit of traveling in 2010 as well. He began 2010 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. On the first of February, he was traded to the Oakland A’s. I don’t think he ever went to Oakland physically because a mere eight days later, the A’s released the outfielder after he refuses assignment. February 15th would have Taveras signing on with the Washington Nationals. He would be in the Nats organization until May 21st when he was granted his unconditional release.
The Phillies took a chance on him on June 2nd and assigned Taveras to Lehigh Valley. It proved unsuccessful as Taveras hit a scant .208 with only 9 steals, his strength. The 4th of July was a different celebration for Taveras as he was picked up by the Atlanta Braves. While in Gwinnett, the Braves Triple-A team, Taveras was an even bigger disappointment that in Lehigh Valley hitting .119 and 4 steals. Another release, then another team. The Texas Rangers this time took a chance on him.
Taveras actually played pretty good in Oklahoma City. He batted .275, posted an OBP of .323, but he only swiped two bags. He was granted free agency on November 6th.
In the frequent flier miles, Taveras racked up a lot as well. If he did go from Cincy to Oakland, that’s 2,363 miles. If he did go from Oakland to our nation’s capital, that’s another 2,812. From D.C. to Lehigh Valley is 182 miles of travel. Lehigh Valley to Gwinnett (Lawrenceberg, GA) covers 768 miles. And from Lawrenceberg to OKC makes another 881 miles. 7,006 miles! And you thought Robertson covered the ground!
So why did the Colorado Rockies bring him back? The outfield is set with Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Seth Smith and Ryan Spilborghs. They’ve also experimented with Eric Young in the outfield. With the additions of Jose Lopez and Ty Wigginton plus the maturation of Jonathan Herrera, moving Young to the outfield for a few games isn’t a stretch.
So where’s that leave Taveras? Maybe on the move…again.
I have a few more in store for everyone tomorrow.