4th OF Discussion with Hamilton now DFA'd

[yarnivek1972]

A late inning defensive replacement, pinch runner is a luxury no team is carrying.

In August, sure. September, I would bet most contenders will.

[Jham]

May is getting LHB out better than Perez this year.

I must not be explaining well. I'm not saying we should leave off May. Just that bringing May, Duffey, Harper, Littel, Graterol/Alcala/Romero would be a bit duplicative. May and Perez are both locks in my mind, with the caveat being that it's possible but still doubtful that the club would go with Smeltzer or Thorpe over the more proven but inconsistent Perez.

 

Even more to the point, if you wanted to leave Perez off, we'd have even more room for Hamilton.

[amjgt]

Also... so what if he’s not on any of the playoff rosters? Is there a chance he helps us win a game in September (with expanded rosters)? I think that answer is yes.

 

In order to have him in September (and maybe the playoffs) as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, we need to carry him for the last 12 days in August, which also coincides with time that Buxton will almost certainly still be on the DL.

 

Option Cave until Sept 1

 

Add Hamilton

 

Basically the only risk is missing Cave’s bat for the next 12 days. I don’t think most of us are very worried about that risk.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Billy Hamilton claimed off revocable waivers by unknown team ...Stay tuned ????????????

There is no such thing as revocable waivers anymore.

 

Not that it matters much in this case, I am sure KC would love it if someone claimed Hamilton and took on his last ~$2 mil salary/buyout obligations!

 

If KC puts him on waivers and he is claimed, he and his contract will be assigned to the claiming team with the highest priority (meaning, worst record).

 

If he goes unclaimed (which seems likely, given his performance and cost), KC will have to release him, eat the salary/buyout, and he will be a free agent available to anyone at league minimum salary / minor league deal.

[ewen21]

Don't like defense, eh?

I don't like position players that can't OPS over .600. Apparently neither do the Reds or KC.

[Roaddog]

I don't like position players that can't OPS over .600. Apparently neither do the Reds or KC.

Well if he's used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner, kind of a non issue.

[ewen21]

Well if he's used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner, kind of a non issue.

Right. Don't want him.

[jokin]

 

Best news related to this is he won't be at KC when we play them however many times this fall.  Hate it when he does get on base because of his speed.  

 

Assume we will have 13 position players on the playoff roster.  No way one could be Hamilton so I have zero interest in claiming him.

 

Nothing lost by rostering him UNTIL the playoffs. And potentially plenty gained as a PR and late-inning defensive replacement.

[jokin]

 

Right. Don't want him.

 

But there's a definite need for BOTH, at the moment. Cave and Rosario have been brutal of late on the corners. Putting Hamilton in as a PR, and then out to CF in the 8th/9th with Kepler sliding over to RF might mean an extra win or two, which might make the difference with Cleveland, and/or home field advantage.

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

 

Billy Hamilton claimed off revocable waivers by unknown team ...Stay tuned ????????????

Are we sure this wasn't based on a tweet from August 2018?

[jokin]

 

A late inning defensive replacement, pinch runner is a luxury no team is carrying.

 

 

 

 

 

In August, sure. September, I would bet most contenders will.

 

 

Bingo.

Come on people, think outside the previous FO box! Just a few more days left in August.

This prospective move makes perfect sense, with no downside, except a few measly bucks.

[SwainZag]

 

I don't like position players that can't OPS over .600. Apparently neither do the Reds or KC.

 

The Royals and Reds paid him to be a starter.  The Royals are so far into a lost season, they have no use for a soon to be free agent who has trouble with the bat.  They would rather audition guys for the future than play a free agent to be.  With the Twins he would fit a small niche of being a late inning defensive player and pinch runner.  He is still one of the fastest men in baseball despite his non-existent bat.  In September competitive teams have use for that, so do playoff teams who have a limited pitching roster.

 

It seems like a win-win situation to me.

[Roaddog]

I don't know much, but I know I don't want Cave on the field when it matters most.

[jorgenswest]

Cruz will be back possibly in Cave’s spot.

 

Graterol and possibly Alcala might need a 40 spot.

 

I am not certain that Hamilton is worth a spot on the current 25 and 40.

[old nurse]

 

Bingo.

Come on people, think outside the previous FO box! Just a few more days left in August.

This prospective move makes perfect sense, with no downside, except a few measly bucks.

You can think anyway you want. It is like a Gardenhre "gut" move.

[Brandon]

I think he would be a smart pick up with a lack of speed on our bench and he is one of the fastest in baseball. He also has great range and OF defense. You want Hamilton for back up and short term I juries and Cave for long term injuries. And in the playoffs I think Hamilton is the more valuable of the two. Also we will need fewer pitchers in the playoffs. I am surprised this move hasn't happened yet. Maybe we hope he is released and we can sign him at the prorated minimum...We would be a desirable place because of his potential post season bonus.

[Twins33]

My first reaction was no.

 

My second reaction was Rosario absolutely needs a few days break and is hitting Hamilton like right now. Maybe with some sitting he’ll stop swinging at everything again.

 

I don’t want Cave out their fielding either but at least he’s hitting.

[yarnivek1972]

Cruz will be back possibly in Cave’s spot.

 

Graterol and possibly Alcala might need a 40 spot.

 

I am not certain that Hamilton is worth a spot on the current 25 and 40.

Alcala had an ERA of nearly 6 in AA. Promoting him to AAA was a mistake IMO. I think it was done to give the appearance that they didn’t get fleeced in the Pressly trade.

[amjgt]

 

Alcala had an ERA of nearly 6 in AA. Promoting him to AAA was a mistake IMO. I think it was done to give the appearance that they didn’t get fleeced in the Pressly trade.

 

His ERA out of the bullpen is much lower.

 

Also, why would the front office care one iota about making the Pressly trade look better by promoting Alcala? 99.99% of fans know almost nothing about the minor leagues and certainly have never in their lives heard of Alcala.

[drivlikejehu]

 

Alcala had an ERA of nearly 6 in AA. Promoting him to AAA was a mistake IMO. I think it was done to give the appearance that they didn’t get fleeced in the Pressly trade.

 

Really, really bad conspiracy take, which makes no sense on any level. You should really reconsider this post . . . moving a player from AA to AAA is irrelevant to the wider fan base and also has no bearing on perceptions of the trade, which will take years to sort out.

[amjgt]

The front office identified two players that it thought might be able to help in September and the playoffs and wanted those players to get some time with the MLB ball (at AAA) before playing in the majors.

 

It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

[jkcarew]

 

Alcala had an ERA of nearly 6 in AA. Promoting him to AAA was a mistake IMO. I think it was done to give the appearance that they didn’t get fleeced in the Pressly trade.

Or it could have something to do with how they think/hope Alcala's stuff translates to a reliever role.

 

Alcala had a 3.96 FIP and 3.71 xFIP at Pensacola to Graterol's 3.22 and 3.52. They had about the same K%, and Alcala posted his numbers across twice as many innings as Graterol. Also, Alcala is 24 years old now. IMO, if they're going to convert him, they should be aggressive about it, regardless of how he was acquired. Doesn't mean they have to call him up if the results are not there.

[yarnivek1972]

His ERA out of the bullpen is much lower.

 

Also, why would the front office care one iota about making the Pressly trade look better by promoting Alcala? 99.99% of fans know almost nothing about the minor leagues and certainly have never in their lives heard of Alcala.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=alcala000jor&type=pgl&year=2019

 

 

According to B-R, he has a 5.9 ERA in 29 relief IP. That’s actually slightly higher than his starter ERA.

[yarnivek1972]

Or it could have something to do with how they think/hope Alcala's stuff translates to a reliever role.

 

Alcala had a 3.96 FIP and 3.71 xFIP at Pensacola to Graterol's 3.22 and 3.52. They had about the same K%, and Alcala posted his numbers across twice as many innings as Graterol. Also, Alcala is 24 years old now. IMO, if they're going to convert him, they should be aggressive about it, regardless of how he was acquired. Doesn't mean they have to call him up if the results are not there.

I don’t care how old he is. If he isn’t good enough to get AA hitters out, he shouldn’t be in AAA.

[jkcarew]

Back to Hamilton...

 

No. I'm not adding a guy to the 40-man that I'll literally never bat. And I'd never put him in the starting lineup. Cave's a better all-around player. Lamonte Wade is probably a better overall player. (To limit myself to players already on the 40-man.) And again, even this year, not adding a guy to the 40-man that I'd use solely to pinch run or put in center for one or two innings. Even in center field, elite speed is a nice-to-have...not a have-to-have. What you have to have is the ability to occasionally not make an out or hit the ball over the fence. Hamilton can't do either. Hard pass.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=alcala000jor&type=pgl&year=2019


According to B-R, he has a 5.9 ERA in 29 relief IP. That’s actually slightly higher than his starter ERA.

That split includes 18.1 innings across 4 games from earlier in the season when Alcala was used as the "primary" pitcher after an opener. For the purposes of this discussion, those games should be considered part of his starting stats.

 

Since his actual conversion to relief on July 26, Alcala has a 1.69 ERA.

 

6 G, 10.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K

[yarnivek1972]

Back to Hamilton...

 

No. I'm not adding a guy to the 40-man that I'll literally never bat. And I'd never put him in the starting lineup. Cave's a better all-around player. Lamonte Wade is probably a better overall player. (To limit myself to players already on the 40-man.) And again, even this year, not adding a guy to the 40-man that I'd use solely to pinch run or put in center for one or two innings. Even in center field, elite speed is a nice-to-have...not a have-to-have. What you have to have is the ability to occasionally not make an out or hit the ball over the fence. Hamilton can't do either. Hard pass.

Wade is hurt. So, he is pretty irrelevant to the discussion.

 

Would it break my heart if the Twins don’t get Hamilton? No. Do they need to improve the 4th OFer spot for the stretch drive and hopefully beyond? Yes. Cave isn’t a good hitter or fielder. At least Hamilton is a good fielder.

[yarnivek1972]

That split includes 18.1 innings across 4 games from earlier in the season when Alcala was used as the "primary" pitcher after an opener. For the purposes of this discussion, those games should be considered part of his starting stats.

 

Since his actual conversion to relief on July 26, Alcala has a 1.69 ERA.

 

6 G, 10.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K

 

So, we’re going to rely on a 10 IP sample size and ignore his other 90 IP at AA?

 

Okay...

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

So, we’re going to rely on a 10 IP sample size and ignore his other 90 IP at AA?

Okay...

So we can only promote guys after a sufficient sample size of relief innings at AA?

 

Personally l have no idea about Alcala's readiness, but it doesn't seem unreasonable at this point to promote him to the AAA bullpen, with an eye towards potentially promoting him to the MLB bullpen in September.

[amjgt]

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=alcala000jor&type=pgl&year=2019


According to B-R, he has a 5.9 ERA in 29 relief IP. That’s actually slightly higher than his starter ERA.

 

Seems as though I might have been confusing him with Duran