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Around SBN: Which Players Will Join The 3,000-Hit Club?

Tony Pena traded to White Sox

Tony Peña was sent to the White Sox in exchange for minor league infielder Brandon Allen.

Allen, 23, batted .281 combined for Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte this year, with eight home runs and 43 RBIs in 302 at-bats. Baseball America rated him the best power-hitting prospect in the White Sox's farm system.He started off the season in Birmingham, where  he batted .290/.372/.452, an impressive performance in what is generally regarded as a pitcher's park. That merited him a promotion to Triple-A, where his numbers have been okay, if nothing special - 246/.246/.361. Said Josh Byrnes, "We wanted another big left-handed bat to grow with our core, primarily a first baseman. Brandon Allen was a guy we’ve been following pretty closely for a while... He definitely has power, is a very good athlete."

Allen is still pretty young, having only turned 23 in February, so the general consensus is he can be left to develop for the rest of the season in Reno. No point rushing him to the majors, after all. I do like the improvement in his K:BB ratio over the years. In 2006 at A-ball, he struck out 126 times, while walking only 22. The following year, at the same level, it was 124:39, and in 2008, between A and Double-A, it was the same number of K's, but the walks leaped up to sixty. This season, so far, he's 60:30, so the trend is still going the right way.

Peña had struggled badly of late in the bullpen for Arizona, after a solid start. He had a 1.27 ERA after his appearance on May 23, which covered 22 games and 21.1 innings. But in the fifteen games since then, he has pitched 12.2 innings, with opponents batting a frightening .362 off him, and an OPS near a thousand. That resulted in an ERA over this time of 9.24; probably the breaking point in fan tolerance was the game against Seattle, where allowed a pinch-hit, game tying homer to Ken Griffey.

Overall, however, his numbers for the Diamondbacks have been pretty solid, with an ERA+ of 114, and a K:BB ratio better than 2:1. He also is under control through 2012, so will be a cost-controlled player for some time to come. Said Byrnes, "our bullpen as a whole wasn’t performing to the extent that we thought it was untouchable. We like a lot of the individual parts of our bullpen. As a group, they haven't performed as well as we want them to. I think that lent itself to trying to shuffle the mix a little bit." That process certainly started today.

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So who do we think will

be called up to replace Peña?

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 8:17 PM EDT reply actions  

I bet

it’s Slaten.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions  

Yeeeeeeeah

who called dis right here!

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions  

Surprising

Seems like a low return on the surface but i guess we’ll see. Hopefully that sends a message to the rest of the bullpen.

by drvnlow on Jul 7, 2009 8:18 PM EDT reply actions  

I am not surprised

Allen is a high prospect in the ChiSox organization, and Peña has been struggling quite a bit lately…

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions  

More surprised about him being the first in the bullpen to be gone.

by drvnlow on Jul 7, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions  

Here's the link to the story

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2009/07/07/20090707spt-dbaxpena.html

Allen, 23, has split time this season between Doulbe-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, combining to hit .281 (85-for-302) with 16 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 43 RBI. Over his six-year career, he has hit a combined .259 (545-for-2,101) with 124 doubles, 19 triples, 84 home runs and 344 RBI in 569 games.

Pena was 5-3 with a 4.24 ERA (16 ER in 34.0 IP) in 37 games with the D-backs this season. He was 16-13 with a 4.08 ERA (101 ER in 222.2 IP) in 209 career games with Arizona. Pena finishes his D-backs career with a franchise-record 63 holds.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 8:18 PM EDT reply actions  

Random impressions on Brandon Allen

Baseball American ranked allen as the 6th best prospect in the ChiSox system. He

Excellent power number. Had a 614 slg last year in AA birmingham…. the last player to come close to that number was our own Chris Young in 2005…

He’s a firstbaseman… once considered a future DH, his fielding has improved, but he’s still going to need lots of work. Doesn’t seem to strike out a ton, but doesn’t walk all that much either, all though his numbers are trending upwards…

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:23 PM EDT reply actions  

Ok. I think I will write a little peice on Allen.

I’ve been in a writing mood the last couple of days(working on a dan haren statistical profile)…. I’ll try to have something up later tonight.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

Any idea

How close Allen is to the major leagues? Would he potentially be called up later this year?

Arizona Diamondbacks' Bullpen: At least the facial hair is nice.

by Zavada's Moustache on Jul 7, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

Still needs time in the minors

A September call up, maybe. I think he’d be overexposed at this point if he were called up now.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions  

September call-up for a cup of coffee

Then spends next year in AAA. His numbers since the call-up this year have been decent but shaky.

"The D-Backs are the abusive husband to my battered wife... But I always go back to them."

by Dan Strittmatter on Jul 7, 2009 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions  

Agreed.

He needs to be in the minors next year, unless he rapes and pillages the pitching of the PCL with his bat this year. Me thinks he’s best served being in the minors until a mid season call up next year.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions  

John sickles

ranked Brandon Allen as the 4th best prospect in the white sox system…. the more i learn about this guy, the more i’m thinking this was an excellent trade for us.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions  

forget to add

He ranked him b-

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions  

Mark just found out Pena got traded while talking to KTAR. Apparently, Tony had been out on the field for batting practice.

by kishi on Jul 7, 2009 8:25 PM EDT reply actions  

Oh wow...

That’s got to suck. :(

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

Piecoro updated his blog at 5:12pm

We’re meeting with Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes in the dugout in a few minutes and will post what he has to say in a bit.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 8:25 PM EDT reply actions  

Check out Chicago's reaction

Words too colorful for our friendly nature here.

Looks like we got a good deal…
However, two words: Carlos Quentin.

by Wailord on Jul 7, 2009 8:30 PM EDT reply actions  

My intial reaction to this trade:

A win for us.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:38 PM EDT reply actions  

Also

the white sox fans are really not liking this trade. At all.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:53 PM EDT up reply actions  

More reactions to the trade:

Over at MLBtraderumors

and at the DBBP

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 7, 2009 8:49 PM EDT reply actions  

Quotes from Byrnes

“Primarily.. position player, offense moving forward, want another big lefty bat, first baseman… early in career, just got to AAA. Fits our growth going forward.”

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 9:02 PM EDT reply actions  

a smooth smooth move

i give some credit for this move – im in the corner of the royals whom believe you can develop relief pitchers in house, then use them to grab bats.

im in shock the white sox would move this guy, he was being called the heir to 1st taking over for konerko in a year. a huge trade, im very happy as a dbacks fan and a little worried as a white sox fan.

by Moozazan on Jul 7, 2009 9:24 PM EDT reply actions  

Random Scouting Report

Scouting report
Allen is a big power bat from the left side. When he was drafted he was believed to be a high upside raw talent. That has been exactly the case. Allen took a few years in the minors to get going, but has proven himself to be one of the better first base prospects in the game. He has good athleticism for a guy his size and his defense seems to be improving enough for him to shed the stigma of being limited to DH in the Majors. He walks a good amount and his contact rate is decent enough to hit for a useful batting average to go with his power. Look for a batting average around .270 with an OBP around .345 with 30-35 HR if he reaches his potential.

Major League Outlook: Average first baseman
ETA: Sometime 2010

"The D-Backs are the abusive husband to my battered wife... But I always go back to them."

by Dan Strittmatter on Jul 7, 2009 9:27 PM EDT reply actions  

Nick updated his blog with notes from the meeting with Byrnes earlier.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 9:30 PM EDT reply actions  

A couple thoughts

1) I’d be pissed if I was Josh Whitesell right now.
2) I’d be pissed if I was whoever lost out in the Gerrardo Parra/Conor Jackson Left Field struggle right now.
3) It’s amazing that we got talent for Pena since he’s been so overused since the first couple months and his once-golden numbers have tanked – I think the Sox are getting more than the numbers suggest.
4) I’m suspicious of this guy being our 1B next year…

"The D-Backs are the abusive husband to my battered wife... But I always go back to them."

by Dan Strittmatter on Jul 7, 2009 9:30 PM EDT reply actions  

Nick confirms

we’re playing a man down tonight. A pitcher will be called up tomorrow – don’t know who yet.

Things ’Skins has in common with foulpole for 400, please. -- soco

by snakecharmer on Jul 7, 2009 9:38 PM EDT reply actions  

Love It

Great move. Bold move.
I am very fond of Pena, but when we start winning again, he will be nothing better than a good, back of the bullpen arm. Instead, roll the dice on a young slugger and see what happens.

Lets see more moves like this.

by Counsellmember on Jul 7, 2009 9:58 PM EDT reply actions  

Dealing with the important issues of the trade

I was wondering out loud what they’ll do instead for the Tony Pena bobblehead night now. We came up with three suggestions:

  1. Trade for Tony Pena, Jr.
  2. Hire someone who looks a lot like Tony Pena
  3. Give out markers with the bobbleheads for Mrew Bobblehead Night.

Full credit for the last one goes to mrskishi, who insisted I mention it was her idea.

by kishi on Jul 7, 2009 10:29 PM EDT reply actions  

Yessssss

No. 3 is Boss.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions  

http://www.southsidesox.com/2009/6/23/921485/minor-leaguers-could-play-big-role

This encourages me.

"The D-Backs are the abusive husband to my battered wife... But I always go back to them."

by Dan Strittmatter on Jul 7, 2009 10:37 PM EDT reply actions  

Next time,

don’t put a link in the title box. Put it in the content box.

"In the future, I want to be a fossil. Or, at least have my feces be fossilized"
-Pygalgia

by DbacksSkins on Jul 8, 2009 3:11 AM EDT up reply actions  

Allen could be the D-Backs 1B Of the future...

although Supp. 1st rd pick Matt Davidson could give him a run for his money

Grab Some Pine Meat!

by Gobroks on Jul 8, 2009 2:25 AM EDT reply actions  

We have a ton of 1B

Matt Davidson is a 3B though. So is Borchering. But who knows if the kids will make it. And if we don’t deal them for arms when we’re competing for pennants in a couple years. Whitesell becomes a stop-gap guy, pretty harsh for someone who was second on the team in June OPS (yes, in the majors). This might also mean Tony Clark gets DFA’d. We can at least hope. Regardless, something has got to give. Too many corner infield prospects. Someone could get moved to left also.

"The D-Backs are the abusive husband to my battered wife... But I always go back to them."

by Dan Strittmatter on Jul 8, 2009 3:08 AM EDT up reply actions  

Pena gone means Raush is here to stay

Uni-brow is now our permanent setup man in front of Qualls, and our future closer should the Dbacks trade Qualls before the deadline. How does that feel? Who are they going to bring up to fill in the empty slot, Buckner? Schlerreth? Move Petit into the bullpen?

I hope Hinch is playing Tracy and Clark to try and increase the trade value of them because I would be pissed if I were Whitesell. Especially with the acquisition of Allen along with the draft picks Byrnes made this past draft.

Badgers! Badgers! We don't need no stinkin badgers!

by haas on Jul 8, 2009 3:23 AM EDT reply actions  

1B of the future

Baseball America had Davidson drafted as a 1B but he may play 3b and Whitesell was rated as the #2 1b on the d-backs depth chart behind Ryne White- White & Whitesell ranked 18 & 19 overall in the d-backs system.

Grab Some Pine Meat!

by Gobroks on Jul 8, 2009 3:59 AM EDT reply actions  

That's

the problem with prospects, they all could be the [position] of the future.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions  

Bobby borchering still hasn't signed

And he probably won’t be ready for a few years. Same goes for our other (decent) 1b prospects, Ryne White, Marc krauss(actually a left fielder, could end up at 1st), Ryan Wheeler, et cetera

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions  

Reading

White Sox Interactive’s reaction, and overall seems ambivalent. It seems to come down to (there and here) how highly you value Allen. Looking at recent history, though, I’m going to have to wait and see on this one, simply because of how many times Byrnes has been taken to the woodshed by Kenny Williams.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 12:21 PM EDT reply actions  

At least we know for sure

That Droo and Max are safe from a White Sox trade.

By the way, reading the comments on South Side Sox, some people still think Colangelo runs the Dbacks :D

In play, out(s)

by dima1109 on Jul 8, 2009 12:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

That's

pretty funny, but that’s also why I read WSI for my Sox info. They’re one of the most knowledgeable fan forums I’ve ever seen.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions  

Did anyone consider

this trade as getting rid of Peña rather than getting Allen? As far as prospects for 1B go, that’s the worst position to be trading for right now, as we have 4.5 major league or ml-ready players that can potentially end up at first.

Or maybe they made the move to put the fire to Whitesell’s feet so he can finally stop being a quarduple-A player.

In play, out(s)

by dima1109 on Jul 8, 2009 12:34 PM EDT via mobile reply actions  

It might be

it might also be that Byrnes rates Allen higher than Pena, and made the move. It’s a bit strange to me, though. I know we’re not competing this year, but if you have a cheap and fairly effective reliever under control for a few more years, and your overall bullpen is crap, why trade one of the few good players for a position you already have a ton of guys at?

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions  

who are these good first basemen we have?

And why aren’t we playing them?

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

"...for

a position you already have a ton of guys at." Not making any claim of their ability, just wondering why we’re getting another prospect when we have no reason to believe the new guy is any better. The dude has been in the minors for five years now, without exactly lighting things up, and not exactly on the fast track.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions  

Another roll of the dice

Stocking up on young sluggers is NEVER bad. Just like in the draft, you dont make selections based on need, you go after talent. If they perform, a position will open up for them. Or at worst a trade.

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions  

I'm sorry

if I’m not enthralled by “rolls of the dice” anymore.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions  

Most, if not all, prospects are a roll of the dice.

Srslsy. Yeah, there’s always guys like upton who are “sure things”, but those are rare.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions  

Minors are dice

Every minor leaguer has a die for a head. Every draft pick from round 2 and after is a roll of the dice. If you only sign 100% sure thinkg players, you wouldnt even be able to fill a 25 man roster.

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions  

I

understand this concept.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions  

+1

It seems like you and i really agreeing on things today.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions  

Or,

if you’re the Rockies, EVERY draft pick is a roll of the dice. ::snickers at Greg Reynolds, chosen before Tim Lincecum and Max Scherzer::

"In the future, I want to be a fossil. Or, at least have my feces be fossilized"
-Pygalgia

by DbacksSkins on Jul 9, 2009 3:49 AM EDT up reply actions  

well....

One. He was drafted out of highschool, and was considered a very raw prospect. He was more of a football player in highschool. Second. He’s put up some impressive power numbers. especially the high 340 ISO and 614 slugging last year in birmingham. Third. Levski over at dbbp has a theory onhis number this year, one that i rather agree with. I’ll quote him here.

Anyhow, the red flag I see in Allen’s 2008 season so far (at least the AA portion of it) has been the drop in HR and OPS, while repeating AA

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=allen-002bra

Now, the good:

His BA is higher (.290 this year vs. .275); his OBP is higher (.372 this year vs. .358 );
His BB/K ratio is better (30BB/47K this year vs. 19BB/41K in 08 )

The bad:

His ISO dropped from about .340 (in 173 PA in 08 ) to .160 (in 274 PA in 09)
He hit 14 hr, 6 2b and 2 3b in 08, vs. 7 hr, 12 db, and 3 3b in 09

So what’s the reason?
I know it’s fashionable to blame bad luck, but look at his raw stats in AA

http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?pl=450315

Click on Birmingham
Scroll all the way down to breakdown of GB, FB, and LD

.319 BABIP on GB, which is probably pretty reasonable/good for his size
.090 BABIP on FB (5 2b, 6 hr)
.825 BABIP on LD, which is about right (.800 BABIP on LD is considered average)

Look at his BABIP on FB: 0.090
Heck, if he had worse luck, he wouldn’t have luck at all
Out of 84 flyballs, only 13 hits fell in, 5 doubles and 6 home runs

Then click on his 2008 stats and go to Birmingham again

0.182 BABIP on GB
0.162 BABIP on FB (4 2b, 1 3b, 11 hr)
0.824 BABIP on LD

Luck? Skill?

Another great thing about Minorleaguesplits.com is that they have spray charts for 07 and 08 season. It would’ve been nice to have the 2009 spray chart as well… Anyhow, have a look around…

Personally, won’t be surprised if his 2009 season in AA was just the outcome of really bad luck on fly balls. We’re talking about 80 or so fly balls that were put in the air in 3 months worth of playing time – and his BABIP at those was 0.090. I’m willing to wait for his luck to turn around…/blockquote>

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

Grr Screwed up the blockquote

should go all the way to bottom from where it starts

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions  

Schlereth

does he get called up to close once Qualls is traded? I think he should, or at least be the setup guy for Rauch this year, and let him close next. What do you think?

raygu

by Ray Guilfoyle on Jul 8, 2009 1:22 PM EDT reply actions  

It might

be better to let him incubate a little longer. He wasn’t very impressive his first stint earlier this year.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions  

No trade for Qualls

I dont think Qualls gets traded at this point. Either way, I DO think Schlereth should be up sometime in the second half with the idea of making him the primary set-up man.
Pitchers, unlike hitters, have less to learn in the minors. Bring him up and let him work against major league hitting, with an eye to having him compete for the closer roll next year.
Schlereth, Zavada and Qualls should be seeing the majority of high leverage situations for the remainder of this year. Tested by fire.

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions  

what people to seem to forget about this trade..

Is that we have crap for firstbasemen in the upper levels of the minors. Whitesell, that’s it. Chad Tracy sucks and more than likely isn’t going to be here next year, tony clark hasn’t been able to hit with authority since 2005. Conor Jackson may not play at all this year, and may not be as good next year.

This gives us more depth at first, and it allows whitesell to be a stop gap next year if allen isn’t ready.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:22 PM EDT reply actions  

What about

the angle that it weakens us at bullpen?

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions  

Does anyone care?

Is there a reason a weak bullpen should concern us this year? We’ve got good options for those positions for the next few years. Whereas, high upside position players can either be used or flipped.

I bet we could get more than Pena for Allen right now if we diecided to flip him back to a different team.

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

Because

we can hold on to Pena for a few years at a fairly cheap price, and he’s better than most of the rag-tag group of rebels that would get fried instantly like Porkins and Gold Five that make up the Diamondbacks bullpen for the foreseeable future?

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions  

Our bullpen already sucked

And Pena has been terrible this year. And he supposedly had issues working with the pitching coach. And he also supposedly just didn’t give a sh*t in general. I say good riddance. Bullpen pitchers are a dime a dozen.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions  

And

so are minor league “prospects,” so why should we be drinking the Kool-Aid on this?

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions  

The difference I see

Is that Pena is now a known quantity. We’ve seen him pitch for several year, and despite his “stuff” he has never become an essential part of the pen.

Allen, conversely, is still young. We know he has power, and his plate discipline has steadily improved. I am not fooled into thinking he is going to be Quentin in reverse, but this is an “upgrade” as far as value for the club IMO.

In the end, it’s a minor trade. No Kool-Aid here. (Trading Haren for Allen-like prospects would DEFINATELY be Kool-Aid….Grape Kool-Aid.

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions  

I'm not drinking any kool aid

Pretty much everything I was going to say has just been said by Counsellmember.

But basically, the potential upside and added value that Allen has and could bring far outweighs whatever the f*ck Pena could do.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions  

Oh

And I submitted this on baseballthinkfactory, linking to this page. (You’re welcome jim for the added traffic, if there is any)

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/diamondbacks_trade_rh_relief_pitcher_tony_pena_for_minor_leaguer_brandon_al/

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:24 PM EDT reply actions  

Pick up your visual scanning, Soco ;)

If we are back in contention next year, this is how I see our pen;
Qualls-closer
Schereth-8th
Zavada-7th

Where does Pena fit in? I agree with your aseesment of him, but I think our two younger arms are better and cheaper. Pena doesnt maximize his use to us as a mop-up type. Better to trade him while we can.

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 1:46 PM EDT reply actions  

Oops

This was a response to Soco above. I hope he finds it!

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions  

There's

no reason to believe in Schlereth yet, but even if your plan worked out, you can always use more bullpen.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions  

I agree

You can always use more of everything, I suppose.

by Counsellmember on Jul 8, 2009 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions  

I think

that’s really the crux of the argument: which you want more a surplus on, and which player you think is a better bet right now.

I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

by soco on Jul 8, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions  

You would

pitch lefties back-to-back in the 7th and 8th?

"In the future, I want to be a fossil. Or, at least have my feces be fossilized"
-Pygalgia

by DbacksSkins on Jul 9, 2009 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions  

Well...

That’s a good point. I suppose I just see those three as the core of the bullpen. Perhaps in no particular order.

by Counsellmember on Jul 9, 2009 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions  

More trade analysis

Fangraphs
Baseballthinkfactory’s Transaction Oracle.

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 8, 2009 1:58 PM EDT reply actions  

Working on Brandon Allen statistical profile right now...

Got a rough draft worked out… trying to make it not suck…

Question for everyone. Out of the all the advanced statistics(ie, not ba, obp, slg) do you pay attention to the most when evaluating minor league hitters?

BB%, K%, Isolated slugging percentage, bb/k ratio, babip?

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 9, 2009 6:15 PM EDT reply actions  

*which do you pay attention to the most?

"When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross" - Upton Sinclair

by C. Wesley Baier on Jul 9, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

Depends on the type of player and their position.

Usually BB/K and ISO. ISO more with a corner IF/OF, BB/K more with a middle player.

"In the future, I want to be a fossil. Or, at least have my feces be fossilized"
-Pygalgia

by DbacksSkins on Jul 9, 2009 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions  

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