Posted on July 24, 2006 by Andrew Flynn
BP Two-fer
Will Carroll details Mark Mulder’s return in Under the Knife:
Mark Mulder is throwing again and that’s a positive. What he’s saying–that he’s dealing with a torn rotator cuff–isn’t. Quotes this week are a bit cryptic, with someone saying that Mulder needs to have his mechanics rebuilt. I think that’s a bit twisted by context and that the someone who said it–either Mulder or pitching coach Dave Duncan–is trying to say that Mulder needs to get back to his normal arm slot rather than adjusting due to the pain and impingement in his pitching shoulder. Rotator cuffs remain a major problem–check this week’s BP Radio for a better explanation from one of baseball’s top docs–and having his hurt makes Mulder’s foray into free agency particularly dicey. Teams that really understand the situations of former aces like Mulder and Kerry Wood will enjoy a big advantage in Orlando at the winter meetings.
And Christina Karhl has the latest transactions:
Arizona Diamondbacks: Setting aside that teal and copper aren’t my colors, is it okay to ask for an early seat on the bandwagon? This is exactly what the D’backs should be doing, and although I like Counsell a lot as a regular, and although I’m not quite as excited about Carlos Quentin’s prospects as some are, I simply love that the Snakes are promoting from within and trying to win now. A recognition that they can move Shawn Green and perhaps even Counsell and still win this division represents a bold, sign-post sort of moment that fans can understand. This might be the sort of exchange that brings Diamondbacks fans to the place that so many A’s fans or Red Sox fans are, recognizing that it isn’t whether or not you add famous people or salary, it’s whether or not you’re improving the team with real talent. GMs like Theo Epstein and Billy Beane enjoy that sort of confidence for good reason, but the next couple of months could buy Josh Byrnes that same freedom of action. Byrnes shouldn’t get all of the credit, of course; a healthy share of it belongs to Scouting Director Mike Rizzo for picking both Stephen Drew and Quentin in the draft, as well as first baseman Conor Jackson.
Drew has done more than enough at the plate to erase any memory of his holdout. As a Sidesnakeling, he’s hit .284/.340/.462. This might seem like something of a trial by fire considering he’s only in his second season as a pro, but Counsell will be a free agent after this season, so beyond this representing a challenge to see if Drew’s ready to help the team right now, it’s also an early audition for making the job his going into 2007. There’s reason for doubt–Drew was hitting just .253/.324/.437 against PCL right-handers, and although he’s considered a competent shortstop, he’s not going to be Ozzie Smith. If he proves reasonably ready, it would give the Snakes a little more freedom of action in sorting through what they might want to trade for, if anything. If Drew seems just semi-ready and gets optioned back once Counsell returns, there’s no harm in that, because then if anything happened to either Counsell or Orlando Hudson, the D’backs would still be able to plug in somebody better than your average utility infielder.
Quentin is a trendy stathead choice for being a massively huge prospect, in no small part because of his on-base skills. He was hitting .289/.424/.489 for Tucson, and he is only a month shy of his 24th birthday, still young for a college player (Stanford). His minor-league career is such that you see “hitter,” so what am I kibbitzing about? I guess it’s just the expectations, which will be ridiculously high for two different groups. For the people who don’t get minor-league park factors, they’ll see Quentin as a ready-now bopper instead of someone who’s had the benefit of playing in bandboxes all the way up to the majors. Lancaster, El Paso and Tucson are three lovely places to be something other than a pitcher, and although the Financial Conglomerate Hot Tub (ballpark included) is another great place to hit, it would be reasonable to expect that facing better pitchers isn’t going to help Quentin at the start. His top comps are Dwight Evans and Jesse Barfield, which seems about right, in that Quentin covers ground well in right, although he lacks either player’s capacity to deal death with his right hand in the form of baserunner kills. I guess if I’m picking a particular nit, it’s my concern that he’ll be more like Barfield and flame out shortly after 30, than Evans, a remarkable athlete despite also having so many of the “old player’s skills” that might have tipped off some about Barfield’s relatively quick decline. Still, if Quentin has a Barfield-like career, that’s pretty sweet, and certainly represents an improvement over what’s left of Green from here on out.