Swihart requests a trade

[Bellhorn04]

Blake Swihart is entirely justified in seeking a trade for an opportunity to succeed or fail as an MLB player. I have little confidence in Swihart but I hope he proves me wrong.

 

In terms of Swihart's trade value, I posted this recently:

 

Blake Swihart is a year older now than Jarrod Saltalmacchia was in June 2010 when the Texas Rangers traded the switch-hitting catcher to the Red Sox for Chris McGuiness, Roman Mendez, Michael Thomas and cash. SoxProspects has never ranked the three prospects among the Top 20 in the organization. McGuiness and Thomas apparently are out of organized baseball while Mendez is a 27-year-old toiling at Double A.

 

Saltalamacchia peaked at No. 18 on Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list while Swihart peaked at No. 17.

 

At the time of the 2010 trade Saltalamacchia was back down at Triple A, much as Swihart had spent much of his age 25 season at Triple A after being a starter at the MLB level.

 

With Saltalamacchia as his optimistic ceiling, Swihart has limited trade value.

 

https://www.talksox.com/forum/threads/18548-A-Realistic-View-at-2018-Part-II?p=1140378#post1140378

 

I'm sort of surprised no one has estimated his trade value as a bag of balls yet...

[MADSTORK]

Another Highly Rated prospect manhandled by the current Minor League Developmental system. The Minor League Operations and Scouting Department need a complete overhaul. All Management has done is move the pieces around by re-assigning or promoting different scouts to other positions. Its a complete disaster from top to bottom especially the Pitching Development....

[Bellhorn04]

Another Highly Rated prospect manhandled by the current Minor League Developmental system. The Minor League Operations and Scouting Department need a complete overhaul. All Management has done is move the pieces around by re-assigning or promoting different scouts to other positions. Its a complete disaster from top to bottom especially the Pitching Development....

 

When was our Pitching Development good, Stork?

[notin]

Another Highly Rated prospect manhandled by the current Minor League Developmental system. The Minor League Operations and Scouting Department need a complete overhaul. All Management has done is move the pieces around by re-assigning or promoting different scouts to other positions. Its a complete disaster from top to bottom especially the Pitching Development....

 

The Sox had a good stretch of some elite prospect development. Look at their starting lineup. When Pedroia returns, only JD will remain as the sole starter who wasn't scouted, drafted/signed and developed within the Sox minor leagues.

 

But even highly ranked prospects fail, and that isn't the fault of the system. It happens to every team. 30% of all first round picks never make the majors. And about 30% of all BA Top 100 prospects never make the majors for more than a brief call up or a September roster expansion. It's just part of the attrition of the game, and a complete overhaul won't change it...

[moonslav59]

When was our Pitching Development good, Stork?

 

Hurst, Tudor & Ojeda?

[Spudboy]

He’s a guy with potential, but hasn’t really lived up to expectations. Is he any different than the Cechinnis or Lavarnways of the world?

 

Yes he seems to be different. He has demonstrated ability to hit MLB pitching. He hit about .280 in about a half a season in 2015, I think.

[Spudboy]

He looked okay when rushed into duty a few years back, but he really has not done anything in the minors to show he deserves another long look. Apparently, his defense does not look good to Sox management, so he really needed to show a big plus bat over the last couple years. He did not.

 

Of course being injured for 1.5 years had absolutely nothing to do with that.

[jung]

The pinch running was a management mistake, not an issue with roster size.

 

Right I forgot about that. However if it were me, I would always use an everyday player if I had him available and I would simply work with the guys I had in the lineup to make it happen. I would only use a pitcher to pinch run under extreme duress.

 

The Angels will be in trouble with their pitcher/DH before this season is over if they aren't already. Makes little to no sense.

 

If I had a pitcher with real base running skills that might be a different story.

Edited May 16, 2018 by jung

[notin]

Right I forgot about that. However if it were me, I would always use an everyday player if I had him available and I would simply work with the guys I had in the lineup to make it happen. I would only use a pitcher to pinch run under extreme duress.

 

.

 

NL managers do it all the time...

[harmony]

Yes he seems to be different. He has demonstrated ability to hit MLB pitching. He hit about .280 in about a half a season in 2015, I think.

To be precise, in 2015 Blake Swihart hit .274 with a BABIP of .359 in 309 plate appearances:

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=13176&position=C

[illinoisredsox]

Right I forgot about that. However if it were me, I would always use an everyday player if I had him available and I would simply work with the guys I had in the lineup to make it happen. I would only use a pitcher to pinch run under extreme duress.

 

The Angels will be in trouble with their pitcher/DH before this season is over if they aren't already. Makes little to no sense.

 

If I had a pitcher with real base running skills that might be a different story.

 

They were sort of down to duress. The bench players that afternoon were Bryce Brentz, Aaron Hill, Sandy Leon, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez

 

It all happened in the 6th:

 

Hill hit for Brock Holt and doubled. Later in the inning, Brentz was announced for David Price. The Dodgers changed pitchers and David Ortiz hit for Brentz, drawing a walk. Betts singled Ortiz to 2nd (he was the tying run). At that point, Farrell wanted to run for Ortiz to try and tie the game up, so he used Wright with the bad result we all know.

 

So at that point, it was leave Ortiz on, use your other catcher or send Hanley in to run and lose his bat for later (and the pitchers spot was due up one more time)

 

The screw up was not using a pitcher for the role, but in using a guy who never runs the bases. Pomeranz, having just come over form the NL, was far more experienced in that regard, and had, as someone pointed out, pinch run a couple time earlier that year with the Padres plus run the bases as a hitter. I can't remember if Kelly was on the roster at that point, but he would have been a possible choice as well.

[Thunder]

When I first saw this story break, I was happy. Get him out of here.

[jung]

They were sort of down to duress. The bench players that afternoon were Bryce Brentz, Aaron Hill, Sandy Leon, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez

 

It all happened in the 6th:

 

Hill hit for Brock Holt and doubled. Later in the inning, Brentz was announced for David Price. The Dodgers changed pitchers and David Ortiz hit for Brentz, drawing a walk. Betts singled Ortiz to 2nd (he was the tying run). At that point, Farrell wanted to run for Ortiz to try and tie the game up, so he used Wright with the bad result we all know.

 

So at that point, it was leave Ortiz on, use your other catcher or send Hanley in to run and lose his bat for later (and the pitchers spot was due up one more time)

 

The screw up was not using a pitcher for the role, but in using a guy who never runs the bases. Pomeranz, having just come over form the NL, was far more experienced in that regard, and had, as someone pointed out, pinch run a couple time earlier that year with the Padres plus run the bases as a hitter. I can't remember if Kelly was on the roster at that point, but he would have been a possible choice as well.

 

Yea I eventually went looking for the info on the game itself and saw that. Not convinced that the NL circumstance mentioned in the thread is an equivalent though. Their pitchers are batting just about every game they pitch. So they are at least prepared to run the bases. American league pitchers, not so much.Interleague probably helps that a bit.

[illinoisredsox]

Hurst, Tudor & Ojeda?

 

I'm assuming you left the Texas Con Man off on purpose.

[moonslav59]

I'm assuming you left the Texas Con Man off on purpose.

 

Yes. He is also a child molester.

[moonslav59]

Swihart has been injured for some of the last few years, but here are his minor league numbers since being called up to Pawtucket in 2014:

 

.659 (71 PAs) Paw 2014

.714 (80 PAs) Paw 2015

.655 (122 PAs) Paw 2016

.539 (212 PAs) Paw 2017

.575 (38 PAs) Gulf (2017)

 

.689 (422 PAs) MLB 2015-2018

 

Nothing here screams for giving him a shot based on his offense.

 

 

[Maxbialystock]

Four pages about an inconsequential topic. I like Swihart but agree there is no good position for him on these Sox.

[Natick to NC]

He has a world better potential than Leon ...this is an asinine move to have Sandy take Swihart out from behind the dish ...I'm disgusted by the short sightedness by this team ...Blake Swihart should be playing catcher 3 days a week For us ...Sandy Leon is a terrible hitter terrible runner his game calling is waaaaay overrated....terrible news and totally the wrong decision to keep one half of the worst catching duo in alllll of baseball over this guy without even trying to get him regular at bats to see what he has ... We will never win A World Series with Sandy Leon ....NEVER

[Natick to NC]

Four pages about an inconsequential topic. I like Swihart but agree there is no good position for him on these Sox.

 

The position is CATCHER for Gods Sake !!!! Wake UP we have the worst catching DUO in alllllll of Baseball ranked 30 th!!!! Cora is screwed if he sticks with those two black holes ....screwed .You need to play this kid Swihart atleast 3 times a week behind the dish f*** the pitchers and there egos ...this about winning with our best players ....Blake is Better than Sandy Leon period .

[dgalehouse]

Swihart has been injured for some of the last few years, but here are his minor league numbers since being called up to Pawtucket in 2014:

 

.659 (71 PAs) Paw 2014

.714 (80 PAs) Paw 2015

.655 (122 PAs) Paw 2016

.539 (212 PAs) Paw 2017

.575 (38 PAs) Gulf (2017)

 

.689 (422 PAs) MLB 2015-2018

 

Nothing here screams for giving him a shot based on his offense.

 

 

 

To be fair , some of that is while rehabbing. Probably not at 100 %. His MLB numbers are : 422 P.A.s. Batting .260 , with a .689 OPS.

[notin]

He has a world better potential than Leon ...this is an asinine move to have Sandy take Swihart out from behind the dish ...I'm disgusted by the short sightedness by this team ...Blake Swihart should be playing catcher 3 days a week For us ...Sandy Leon is a terrible hitter terrible runner his game calling is waaaaay overrated....terrible news and totally the wrong decision to keep one half of the worst catching duo in alllll of baseball over this guy without even trying to get him regular at bats to see what he has ... We will never win A World Series with Sandy Leon ....NEVER

 

So the Sox biggest weakness is the backup catcher?

[a700hitter]

Hurst, Tudor & Ojeda?

Dick O'Connell drafted Hurst and Tudor. O'Connell may have had the best eye for talent of any GM in my lifetime. He drafted Hurst in the first round in 1976 and Tudor in the third round of the same year. After that, our pitching pipeline was sparse and sporadic at best.

[moonslav59]

Dick O'Connell drafted Hurst and Tudor. O'Connell may have had the best eye for talent of any GM in my lifetime. He drafted Hurst in the first round in 1976 and Tudor in the third round of the same year. After that, our pitching pipeline was sparse and sporadic at best.

 

O'Connell drafted...

'67: Fisk

'68: Cooper, Oglive, Bill Lee

'69: D Evans, Rick Miller

'70: Burleson

'71: Rice

'72: D Aase, S Dillard

'73: Lynn, Hobson

'74 Stanley

'75 Stapleton

'76 Hurst, Tudor, Boggs, G Hoffman

 

 

 

 

[Bellhorn04]

O'Connell drafted...

'67: Fisk

'68: Cooper, Oglive, Bill Lee

'69: D Evans, Rick Miller

'70: Burleson

'71: Rice

'72: D Aase, S Dillard

'73: Lynn, Hobson

'74 Stanley

'75 Stapleton

'76 Hurst, Tudor, Boggs, G Hoffman

 

Pretty good home-grown team there!

[illinoisredsox]

He has a world better potential than Leon ...this is an asinine move to have Sandy take Swihart out from behind the dish ...I'm disgusted by the short sightedness by this team ...Blake Swihart should be playing catcher 3 days a week For us ...Sandy Leon is a terrible hitter terrible runner his game calling is waaaaay overrated....terrible news and totally the wrong decision to keep one half of the worst catching duo in alllll of baseball over this guy without even trying to get him regular at bats to see what he has ... We will never win A World Series with Sandy Leon ....NEVER

 

The position is CATCHER for Gods Sake !!!! Wake UP we have the worst catching DUO in alllllll of Baseball ranked 30 th!!!! Cora is screwed if he sticks with those two black holes ....screwed .You need to play this kid Swihart atleast 3 times a week behind the dish f*** the pitchers and there egos ...this about winning with our best players ....Blake is Better than Sandy Leon period .

 

You just don't get the fact that Swihart is NOT a good catcher. If he were, he'd be playing the position. He was bad in 2015 when he caught half the season. And in the eyes of the professionals, he hasn't gotten any better. This isn't some conspiracy to keep him from playing. He's not good.

 

And although his chances offensively have been few, he hasn't taken advantage of the opportunities he's had. When you are in his position, you have to.

[Slasher9]

Edited....wrong thread

[Natick to NC]

You just don't get the fact that Swihart is NOT a good catcher. If he were, he'd be playing the position. He was bad in 2015 when he caught half the season. And in the eyes of the professionals, he hasn't gotten any better. This isn't some conspiracy to keep him from playing. He's not good.

 

And although his chances offensively have been few, he hasn't taken advantage of the opportunities he's had. When you are in his position, you have to.

 

.....Blake is just fine at Catcher it's ******** he's not playing behind the dish ...f*** Sandy Leon forever .

[moonslav59]

.....Blake is just fine at Catcher it's ******** he's not playing behind the dish ...f*** Sandy Leon forever .

 

It's BS stating Swihart "is just fine at Catcher," when he is not and probably won't be forever.

[notin]

Dick O'Connell drafted Hurst and Tudor. O'Connell may have had the best eye for talent of any GM in my lifetime. He drafted Hurst in the first round in 1976 and Tudor in the third round of the same year. After that, our pitching pipeline was sparse and sporadic at best.

 

Roger Clemens?

[moonslav59]

Roger Clemens?

 

Some pitchers drafted since the Hurst-Tudor draft and before Theo:

 

78 Matt Young

80 Oil Can Boyd & Al Nipper

83 Clemens

86 Schilling

91 A Sele

93 J Suppan

94 C Pavano (part of Pedro trade)

99 C Fossum (part of Schilling trade)

00 Delcarmen

02 Lester

 

(2001 int'l signing: Anibal Sanchez- part of Beckett trade.)