Article: Nunez Traded To Giants For LHP Prospect

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Yeah, that sounds about right.  He's a good get but he's likely a back of the rotation starter, which is nice but not a top 100 type.  But let's hope he excels for us.

 

Back of the rotation is the floor.  Mid rotation is the ceiling.  That's pretty normal for top 100.

[Tibs]

I like the return for Nuñez. However, I'm not a fan of 1 to 1 major leaguer and prospect trades. I wish we could have got another prospect in the lower levels of the minors. Overall I'm satisfied with the return and I'm glad to see Antony make a move.

[jimmer]

 

I think most of these are mid season ranks which skew up. Many players have exited the ranks when entering the majors and the new draft crop isn't represented.

 

I think this is an important fact to remind people of. 

 

Having said that, I think it's still a good haul for a player of Nunez caliber.

Edited July 29, 2016 by jimmer

[Monkeypaws]

The Part of me that actually watches Twins games will miss Eduardo. Fun guy to watch. I'm glad he's going to a great team with a great ballpark in a great city.

 

The part of me that visits Twins Daily is very happy with the trade though, and is hoping for more.

[jimmer]

 

The Part of me that actually watches Twins games will miss Eduardo. Fun guy to watch. I'm glad he's going to a great team with a great ballpark in a great city.

 

The part of me that visits Twins Daily is very happy with the trade though, and is hoping for more.

I'll miss seeing his helmet fly off in the same way I missed Punto's headfirst slides at first :-)

[amjgt]

 

Goodbye old friend.

[spinowner]

If/when Mejia pitches for the Twins he will be (I believe) the second player named Adalberto in Twins history.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ortizju01.shtml

[Seth Stohs]

 

This happened last week when I started the Terry Ryan thread, slighty annoying but not a big deal. 

 

Not much we can do about that though. Obviously when there is big breaking news, we are going to try to get an Article out there as quickly as we can, but that takes a few minutes and a little more. When I get the press release, I try to do a little more research. I think merging the forums makes great sense so that none of the comments have been lost. We aren't going to NOT write an article on a big story.

[amjgt]

 

Not much we can do about that though. Obviously when there is big breaking news, we are going to try to get an Article out there as quickly as we can, but that takes a few minutes and a little more. When I get the press release, I try to do a little more research. I think merging the forums makes great sense so that none of the comments have been lost. We aren't going to NOT write an article on a big story.

 

Can't you just pre-write a bunch of articles?

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I think most of these are mid season ranks which skew up. Many players have exited the ranks when entering the majors and the new draft crop isn't represented.

Good point.  I think that's what moved him up the BA list.  I think I had it confused with the MLB midseason update, which did include 2016 draftees but of course did not include Mejia (and only 2 Giants).

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I think this is an important fact to remind people of.  I was thinking the same thing when some people were raving about having 3 SPs in the top 100 prospect list on MLB's midseason prospect list this year.  First, that distinction was nothing new for us, we had that going on in a few pre-season top 100 lists recently, but also that guys snuck in there in the midseason lists due to exactly what you pointed out.  Guys having graduated off the list and new draft guys not represented.

MLB's list included new draft guys, 15 of them to be exact.  Although it included only Berrios and Jay as Twins SP, so perhaps you were thinking of BA's midseason list.

 

I think the world might be better off without the confusion brought upon it by midseason top 100 prospect lists.

[jimmer]

 

MLB's list included new draft guys, 15 of them to be exact.  Although it included only Berrios and Jay as Twins SP, so perhaps you were thinking of BA's midseason list.

 

I think the world might be better off without the confusion brought upon it by midseason top 100 prospect lists.

yeah,  I realized that and took it off my post.  thanks.  either way, having three SPs on a top 10 prospect list isn't new for us. It sure doesn't mean we're for sure going to have a really good rotation soon.  They have to prove it here.

 

And I was reading an update on MLB.coms' prospect watch listing a week or two ago and if had Gonsalves as like #97. As I look now, he's back out of it.  They change it quite often, it seems.

Edited July 29, 2016 by jimmer

[d-mac]

I didn't catch this until this morning. After the game last night, I spent some quality time with Mrs. D-Mac. 

 

This return is definitely better than I had expect to get for Nunez. With one more potential arm for the rotation next year, I wonder if the Twins will be more comfortable moving Santana now? I just hope Berrios and May get their shots before Mejia. 

 

Anybody know if is being added to the 40-man? 

[spinowner]

 

 

 

Anybody know if is being added to the 40-man? 

He's already been added.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Back of the rotation is the floor.  Mid rotation is the ceiling.  That's pretty normal for top 100.

Except he's not a top 100, except on BP a year and a half ago and on BA's midseason list which excludes a lot of players.  (Last year, BA only published a "top 50" midseason list, which suggests that Mejia may rank about 50 spots lower when the full population of minor league players is considered again this winter.  Maybe ranking ~140th?  And that might be the high ranking of the lists -- Sickels seemed lower on him than most, C+ and 12th in the Giants system last winter, so I suspect he still may not crack Sickels top 175 this winter.

 

Mejia is an interesting prospect, but there is no evidence that he is currently a "top 100" prospect as the term is commonly understood.

[d-mac]

 

Great to see a young but near MLB-ready starter coming back for Nunez. The ERA doesn't look as sterling since his promotion to Triple-A (4.20), but Mejia's 9.5 K/9 and 3.91 K/BB ratio over seven starts at Sacramento are very nice. Plus the PCL is a hitter's league.

 

Atta boy Antony. Sad to see Nunie go, but I think he'll fit in nicely with the Giants.

 

The PCL is where pitchers go to die. I'd expect him to knock off .5 ERA in the IL at least.

[Loosey]

I like this deal for the Twins.  Now if they can make room for Berrios ASAP and then possibly get this guy in there they can see what they have or don't have for next year.  If anything, the Twins acquired another asset.  Or a guy who can bridge the gap until the next wave of pitching prospects arrive in 2018 or longer.

 

 

[jorgenswest]

Mejia stepped it up the year. He is a good prospect and near ready. A good return for Nunez. If his status as a prospect matters, this winter's list will have the best gauge on how he ranked at the time of the trade.

 

Maybe the Twins can add another potential rotation candidate in the next few days. It takes several rotation prospects to hit on a few. May was on every top 100 list while with the Phillies. Same for Meyer with the Nationals. Neither look like starting rotation hits. They need to keep searching. Nothing is more critical than getting young team control starters in the rotation long term.

[h2oface]

Just don't let Mejia and Rosario room together!

[Mike Sixel]

The prospect guy for Fangraphs sees a league average number 4 starter. That would be a great return, imo.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scouting-new-twins-prospect-adalberto-mejia/

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

I'm not sure about the degree to which Mejia has "stepped it up this year."  It was his third go-around in AA, after all.

 

Year / ERA / FIP

2014 / 4.67 / 3.78

2015 / 2.45 / 3.41

2016 / 1.94 / 3.19

 

His K rate finally climbed to AA league average this season, but just barely (8.0 K/9, vs league average 7.6).

 

His AAA K rate looks better, but in such a small sample -- can he sustain it?  The PCL also has a higher strikeout rate than his AA league, or Rochester's AAA International League, so if we give him a PCL ERA/HR discount, we probably also have to discount part of his PCL K rate boost so far too.  He's never sustained a K rate this high before -- 7.7 K/9 career.

[d-mac]

 

*Insert It's Happening! meme here*

 

http://i.imgur.com/7drHiqr.gif?noredirect

 

Happy to oblige, Nothing like Ron Paul on a Thursday/Friday.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

The prospect guy for Fangraphs sees a league average number 4 starter. That would be a great return, imo.

 

That would be his "ceiling" though, right?  What he achieves if he stays healthy and successfully makes the leap to MLB?  A lot of prospects would probably be great return if they hit their ceiling.

 

This scouting report doesn't suggest he is a particularly strong bullpen candidate either, if starting doesn't work out.  He might not have as much margin for error to provide value even if he doesn't hit that ceiling, as compared to some other pitching prospects.

[d-mac]

 

Regarding selling high ... Dozier has been playing splendiferous second base and is hitting a career-best OPS this year ... if Antony has find the right piece, I'd let the Bull Dozier go.

 

Ditto, but Dozier strikes me as more of an offseason type trade. Plus, the demand for second base seems weak this year at the deadline, not area of need for contenders. 

[jimmer]

Pitt and Toronto could use some 2B help.

[d-mac]

 

BTW, per Baseball America, Mejia wasn't suspended for a steroid, but for a weight-loss drug:

 

Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/maturity-conditioning-aided-mejia/#1XbcZJG6msRs4yCG.99

 

Wouldn't be the first Twin to have this happen. Kennys Vargas says hi!

[Willihammer]

Overweight ballplayers, the new market inefficiency?

[d-mac]

 

If I'm the Pirates he's pretty much untouchable. So yeah, Rob, add to Santana what it takes to get the guy (not including our own untouchables ) and I'll be impressed.

 

BTW, and maybe this has already been mentioned, one thing I like about Mejia is that the numbers he has put up in AAA are in the higher-offense PCL. A 4 ERA in the International League wouldn't have been too much to brag about. OTOH, a quick scan of his game log shows only Reno and maybe Vegas as a park he's pitched in that really elevates offense, to the best of my recollection. He pitched against El Paso but that was at home, which is basically sea level. He got pounded twice in his first three games, but in the next four has been good enough to pin some hopes on.

 

I'd still file that under SSS. 

[bird]

 

If that All-Star tag helped get him traded, then All-Star Nunez it is. :-)

 

 

I'm just hoping the proven closer tag helps gets us an overpay for Kintzler...

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

I like the return for Nuñez. However, I'm not a fan of 1 to 1 major leaguer and prospect trades. I wish we could have got another prospect in the lower levels of the minors. Overall I'm satisfied with the return and I'm glad to see Antony make a move.

 

I tend to agree, but we got a borderline top 100 prospect for a utility player having a good offensive year (and not good defensively)... that's pretty much the definition of a blow me away offer for Nunez.