Get out the bellows and pump air into his lungs, I'm not ready to proclaim Stefen Romero as completely dead.
These MLB RH OF prospects had their first go around in '14. The numbers with each are how they faired vs. RH chuckers:
Randal Grichuk .250-.308-.354 w/4BB-15K in 52 PA
Steven Souza .000-.105-.000 w/2BB -6K in 19 PA
George Springer .242-.317-.493 w/21BB-88K in 249 PA
Michael Choice .171-.223-.282 w/9BB-49K in 188 PA
Brandon Guyer .243-.311-.345 w/10BB-29K in 167 PA
Stefen Romero .164-.227-.311 w/2BB-17K in 68 PA
Hey, those other guys are pretty highly regarded. In comparison, our guy didn't do all that badly. And his MiLB #'s stack up, too.
MLBTR has indicated that the BoSox have so interest in 'Kuma. That's understandable. They have to keep up with the Joneses....er, Yankees, after all. We will want a RH bat in return, won't we? Well Cespedes is possible, but I like Allen Craig even more. A bunch more, in fact. You basically swap from strengths to get that done, and swap salary, too. A neat and tidy deal. A Craig get would give us our RH RBI bat that we so badly need. OK, he mostly stunk it up in '14, but let's just look at the 3 previous years and say that we'll roll the dice on his bounce back. It isn't any bigger gamble than a Kemp get, really.
And then we have our millions of clams to add an FA arm or another bat. Felix-Paxton-Walker-Elias is still a heck of a 4-card start to draw to.
But is there a place, regardless of a Craig/Hanley/Kemp addition for our resident and much maligned OSU Beaver, Stefen Romero? I think he still has life.
For example, there is discussion that Michael Saunders has worn out his welcome in Safeco. Maybe. Might Ackley go somewhere? Maybe. Could Romero resurrect his MLB career in a COF spot if one of those guys were to go? Certainly.
It is not unusual for RH masher-types to struggle out of the gate and it isn't a fatal flaw. Romero could still find the right stuff. He sported a .190 BABIP vs. RHP in '14, after all. That didn't help him. His AAA career #'s of .300-.347-.511 indicate there is something there.
I'm among the most huge of Kivlehan guys, but his .300-.374-.485 AA line (44BB-78K/431PA) certainly isn't any better than Romero's .347-.392-.620 (14BB-37K/240PA) AA season. Romero hit when he went back down to Tacoma last year (well, he mashed) and he's hit everywhere he's been. OK, he doesn't walk! Of this I am aware. But he has shown batting skills consistently. His first MLB rodeo was ugly. But it does happen.
Do I give Romero as much chance as Kivlehan or Deej to be an impact Mariner? Likely not. I'm just pointing out that he isn't dead yet. Were he to be significantly better in ST, play himself onto the roster and produce, I wouldn't be wildly surprised.
Travis Ishakawa was just the hero of the NLCS. He was once really dead dead. Romero isn't there yet. I think McClendon knows it, too.
Don't bury him prematurely. He may yet find his legs and marry Buttercup.
Oh, Ty Kelly could too. But we will read that story next time, if you would like.
As you wish,
moe
He's not athletic enough to stay in the outfield and not solid enough in plate skills to handle Safeco (doesn't have the power we'd need in a righty)...and on top of that...the NL to AL transition looms. Just no. Not for Iwakuma...not without getting more. Would have to be like...Craig and Mookie Betts or Craig and Will Middlebrooks.
But he's a 1B/DH type for us. RF as needed. Granted, his avg. HR in '13 traveled 9 ft less than Ramirez's and 10 ft less than Kemp's (only 3 ft less than Van Slyke's) but on the other hand he's a high average guy who walks, too.
His average homer traveled only 4 ft less than Encarnacion's, btw. We would love to get him.
Man Matt, you're ruling out Sandoval, Posey, Donaldson and David Wright as bats that could "power thru" Safeco. Their average ball speed and distance wasn't much better than Craig's.
You're talking about a guy who hit .300, Home and Away, from '11-'13, hits lefties and righties, and is relatively cheap.
And his average ball speed (in '13) was more than Zunino's last year. Zuny handled Safeco (power-wise) just fine. 10 of his 22 homers were at home.
Granted, I would love to have Stanton's or Trout's ball speed.....but it isn't readily available.
I love Iwakuma and his Shuuto, but away from Safeco he becomes pretty close to a league average pitcher. His career Away WHIP is 1.213, his K/BB is 3.17, and he gets hit to the tune of .251-.301-.402. League batting averages last year were 1.284, 2.65 and .252-.316-.390 (which does include Safeco...a whopping 1/15th of the sample....and it also include Seattle's dismal bats).
OK, Iwakuma is a known (nice) thing and Craig is a risk. But we have arms and we don't have RH bats. At some piont you have to roll the dice on getting one or two......either cash-wise or trade-wise.
I think I would do this one, knowinly rolling the dice, and having the $ resources for another bat.
Thanks for the insight, as always.
moe
A couple of days ago, I posted this in the shouts:
Think about this lineup (with Bill James Handbook projections) --- Jackson CF .736; HanRam SS/DH .843; Cano 2B .865; Kemp RF/DH .849; Seager 3B .779; Morrison 1B .772; Zunino C .714; Ackley .717; Miller SS/Romero RF .755/.758...
While I was making a case for how Hanley and Kemp would fit in an Ms lineup, note the #9 slot - Romero and Miller are predicted to have almost identical (above-average) OPSs by the Bill James Handbook 2015. Having Romero when Kemp DHs would be an exquisite way to cover RF and keep the lineup strong from top to bottom. He's probably about as good in RF as Kemp as well (although that isn't an endorsement).
Projections and predictions are guesses; but guessing that Romero still has value for the Ms in certain situations is a darn good one. I don't think the Ms want to use Romero as their starting RF, but, assuming Condor is gone, he's possibly better than a lot of more obvious alternatives as a backup.
And, without getting all FanGraphsian on everybody, if 'Kuma is a 3.0 WAR pitcher (Steamer projection), the means he's worth ~$21-24M in value, but getting paid $7M. Allen Craig's Steamer projection is 0.2 WAR, or about $1.4-1.6M in value. If Boston paid the Ms the $26.5M they owe Craig for the remainder of his contract, it might approach a fair trade!!!
OK...I get it. My swap suggestion is taking body blows and left hooks to the chin. :)
But Craig WAS a 3.O oWAR guy in '12 and '13. My gamble is on his return to that form.
Cespedes IS a projected 3.1 WAR guy....but he's good for only a season, unless he extends. Why would he?
Gimme Cespedes for 3 seasons and Craig isn't the better deal. But Cespedes may cost you $15M+ per, after next season. If you're in that much, then just think about Ramirez.
BTW, Fangraphs has 'Kuma as a Top-20 pitcher (by WAR), not Top-10. His AWAY ERA was #39 in the AL. In '13 it was #4, however.
Thanks guys.
Fer nuttin'! :)
Reeling,
moe
...there would be 29 GMs on the phone--even for his one remaining year.
Craig for a reliever--maybe.
And where are the arms to replace him? SP depth is a weakness approaching RH power.
The thing about the major leagues is it's hard to hit at that level. Dustin Ackley can attest to this. Mike Zunino and his sub-.200 avg can as well. Raul Ibanez bounced between AAA and the majors for several years, before finally finding his groove with KC. With all of that in mind, I agree: there is life yet in Stefen Romero.
His contract may only go through 2015, but he's under team control for a couple more, with arbitration through 2017, his age 36 season. Then he's a free agent before the 2018 season. That should make him quite valuable.
And you still may be... BUT I am pretty sure that Kuma's agent had Kuma becoming a free agent at the end of the contract written into the current contract with the M's... That is one reason he signed for so cheap with the Mariners
He played one year for us at like $1M-something and then we signed him as a free agent. Not a club controls player.
Not that I like the GM type stuff or know anything much about it. But I'm pretty sure you don't sign a free agent to an MLB contract and then, three years later, go to arb with him. Correct me if I have it even more wrong than usual.