Rumors for Kansas City Royals
Should Billy Beane take a shot with Gregor Blanco and Luis Jimenez?
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Billy Beane, the A’s General Manager, has been praised for building competitive teams by taking advantage of “market inefficiencies.” This means that he signs inexpensive players, that almost no other organization wants or would consider, because they overlook important statistics like OBP (on-base percentage), and give way too much importance to stats that aren’t that important like RBI’s (runs batted in).
He’s been known to sign players like Scott Hatteberg and Jeremy Giambi among others for their ability to wear down pitchers and get on-base. For him, the ultimate offensive statistic is the OBP.
The A’s are not getting positive results, and other teams like the Red Sox have adopted a similar approach to building a team, making it harder for the A’s to get cheap, but productive players. So why doesn’t Beane gives Gregor Blanco and Luis Jimenez a shot to make the team?
You might think that I’ve gone crazy, and yes, I have gone crazy, but in situations like this one, you have to think outside the box. Maybe you guys are not familiar with these two young players, but I’m going to tell you why I think they could work up in Oakland. It would be a low risk investment that would cost the team only a Minor League deal.
First there’s Blanco. A 28-year old center fielder with an incredible talent for wearing down pitchers and a keen eye for drawing walks. In three Major League seasons his career OBP is .358, or .100 points above his career batting average. I believe this numbers can still go up. In 2010 he played 36 games with the Braves where he hit .310/.394/.362. He was then traded to the Royals and in 66 games hit .274/.348/.369. In 237 AB’s in 2010 between the two teams he walked 29 times and struck out 50. Nothing impressive, but I’m sure he can improve.
This winter in Venezuela, Blanco hit .337/.478/.520 with 4 HR’s, 14 2B and 5 3B in 196 AB’s. He also walked 47 times and struck out 46. Impressive numbers that earned him the MVP award in the Venezuelan Winter League this year. In the semi-finals, Blanco kept his torrid offensive output up hitting .347/.484/.714 with 5 HR’s, 1 2B and 1 3B in 49 AB’s. He also has walked 13 times and struck out 11. Now tell me why doesn’t Beane gives him a Minor League deal with a ST invitation to see if he can makes the team? After all the kid fits perfectly in the OBP-driven offensive/cheap player category.
Jimenez is another case study. He has incredible power and is a left handed hitter. The other day, he hit two 450+ ft home runs in the same game in Venezuela. And one of them was well beyond the 500 ft mark. The ball left the stadium, and was apparently the longest hit in the “Estadio Universitario” (Caracas, Venezuela) history. In 10 Minor League seasons Jimenez has a hitting line of .284/.367/.468 with 121 HR’s in 2,876 AB’s. This year in Venezuela, Jimenez hit .300/.417/.486 with 10 home runs in 220 AB’s. He also walked 44 times and struck out 47.
For Beane and the A’s, these two players are not going to be pricey. Just a couple of Minor League deals with invitations to Spring Training. I think they will prove their value to a team that is always looking for bargains.
Image by J. Chris Vaughan under the Creative Commons License.
Gerardo Concepcion is close to signing with MLB team
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Left-handed pitcher and Cuban native, Gerardo Conception, is close to signing with a Major League team, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeports.com reports. It was reported earlier this week by Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com that the 18-year–old free agent worked out in front of the Texas Rangers.
The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals have also shown interest.
“Everything is great. I really don’t know how to describe it,” Concepcion, 18, said by phone from the Dominican Republic. “All the training and exercise I have done is paying off. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I’m so happy. It’s like a dream come true.”
Image by Scott Marlowe under the Creative Commons License.
Reds sign Jeff Francis
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The Cincinnati Reds have signed Jeff Francis to a minor league deal, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.
Francis can earn $1.5mm if he makes the big league club and can earn an additional $1.75mm based on unknown incentives. Francis also can opt out of his deal with the Reds on March 28.
In 2011 with the Royals, Francis went 6-16 with a 4.82 era.
Image taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
Rangers and others interested in Gerardo Concepcion
Posted by: | CommentsLeft-handed Cuban pitcher Gerardo Conception worked out in front of the Texas Rangers today, and according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the team is among the favorites to sign him. The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals have also show interest in the 18-year-old.
“Everything is great. I really don’t know how to describe it,” Concepcion, 18, said by phone from the Dominican Republic. “All the training and exercise I have done is paying off. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I’m so happy. It’s like a dream come true.”
Image by Scott Marlowe under the Creative Commons License.
Tigers Interested in Johnny Damon
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According to a tweet by Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, The Detroit Tigers are showing interest in free agent outfielder, Johnny Damon. Damon would provide a veteran left handed bat to fill in for Victor Martinez this season. Martinez is likely out for the season with an ACL tear leaving a massive hole behind Miguel Cabrera in the Tigers lineup. Some other potential candidates for the Tigers include Derrek Lee, Bobby Abreu,Raul Ibanez, Kosuke Fukudome and Hideki Matsui.
Damon, 38, is a career .286/.353/.435 hitter with 231 career home runs and 2,723 career hits. In his 17 year career thus far, he has played for the Royals, Athletics, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Rays.
Image Taken by Keith Allison and used under the Creative Commons License Agreement.
Royals sign Kevin Kouzmanoff
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The Kansas City Royals have signed Kevin Kouzmanoff to a minor league deal, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports.
If Kouzmanoff makes the Major League roster, he will earn $1mm and can earn and additional $300k in performance bonuses based on an unknown number of plate appearances. In addition, if Kouzmanoff is not on the Major League roster by May 1, he can opt out and become a free agent.
In 2011, Kouzmanoff hit .235 in 234 at-bats while posting a .284OBP.
Image taken by SD Dirk and used under the Creative Common License Agreement.
PRO Rumors Android app version 1.0 is available
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Hello PRO Rumors fans,
We are proud to announce that our PRO Rumors Android app version 1.0 is available on the Android Market. We spent a lot of time on the app’s design and functionality, and we are sure that you’ll love it. To download the app for an introductory price of $2.99 you can click here.
Here are a few features:
– Push Notifications to get the latest news and rumors for your favorite MLB team
– Pulse-like view of articles – it’s beautiful
– Real-time scoreboard
– Real-time box scores of in-game action
We’re working hard to add more features, so if you have any questions or feature requests, please send an email to support@prorumors.com. We promise to write you back.
Allan
Happy Holidays from the PRO Rumors team
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From all of us at PRO Rumors, we’d like to wish you all a Happy Holidays! We hope that all of your holiday wishes (and your baseball wishes) have come true!
Kansas City Royals sign Yuniesky Betancourt
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The Kansas City Royals have announced that they signed Yuniesky Betancourt to a one-year, Major Leageu contract. Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star adds that Betancourt’s base salary will be $2 million with an additional $500,000 in incentives based on playing time.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Wednesday Hot Stove Rumors: Astros hire Jeff Luhnow as GM
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Here are Wednesday’s hot stove rumors to follow while the GM’s duke it out in Dallas:
– The Houston Astros have hired Jeff Luhnow as their new general manager. (Brian McTaggart, MLB.com)
– The Pittsburgh Pirates have released Ross Ohlendorf. (Jenifer Langosch, MLB.com)
– John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants are out on Carlos Beltran. Jon Heyman adds that Beltran’s market appears thin.
– Jimmy Rollins’ agent, Dan Lozano, and manager Charlie Manuel are saying that a deal between the Phillies and Rollins will get done. (Jim Bowden, ESPN XM Radio).
– Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says the Washington Nationals are now targeting Roy Oswalt.
– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports reports that the Detroit Tigers are considered front runners to land veteran right hander Octavio Dotel. Rosenthal also adds that a NL team is also in the mix.
– The New York Mets are shopping Jonathon Niese according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He adds that the Padres and Rockies are among the teams interested in him.
– Mark Buehrle has narrowed his choice to three teams and according to Juan Carlos Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel the Marlins are one of them.
– The Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams interested in Hiroki Kuroda according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports. He adds that the right hander may go back to Japan.
– According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Athletics will not move left handed pitcher Gio Gonzlaez during the Winter Meetings.
– The Kansas City Royals are looking for an utility infielder, and according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, they are considering Edgar Renteria and “several others.”
– The Cleveland Indians are interested in first baseman Derek Lee, and according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, they are waiting until after Lee decides if he’ll accept the arbitration offer from the Pirates.
– The Colorado Rockies are interested in trading for Edinson Volquez or signing free agents Hiroki Kuroda or Kevin Millwood according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. He adds that the teams has the money to make the next move.
– According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres are talking about a deal involving Huston Street.
– First baseman Carlos Pena said that he will not accept the Cubs’ arbitration offer according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.
– Sussan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirms that the Phillies are indeed interested in Gio Gonzalez, and adds that they are also interested in reliever Craig Breslow.
– According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, Gio Gonzalez’s “known suitors” are the Tigers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Reds and Phillies.
– Veteran short stop, Miguel Tejada, is working out in Fort Lauderdale and is hoping to get a Major League deal according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He adds the the Orioles have no interest in signing him.
– According to the New York Post (via Guillermo Celis of ESPNDeportes), the New York Yankees are listening to offers for A.J. Burnett. He adds that the Yankees are willing to eat about $8 million of the $33 million owed to Burnett.
– The Detroit Tigers are apparently trying to make a strong push for left handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the Angels and Brewers are among the teams interested in Aramis Ramirez. He adds that the Phillies are no longer interested in the third baseman.
– Peter Gammons says that the Oakland Athletics are considering Josh Reddick and propects for Andrew Bailey.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
