Austin Voth was DFA's yesterday. Jesse from the Post has a nice article on why a guy with a 5.70 lifetime ERA, with 4 bad outings in the majors in 5 years, who's been middling to bad in the MINORS since 2016, is still around. The argument is unconvincing and belies a general problem with sports evaluation. If you look the part or have the raw skills that seem elite, scouts and teams will convince themselves they can turn you into something great. If you are simply good at the sports, eh not that interested. Voth had good fancy stats so the team thought only if he learned to pitch we could make something of him! Thing is knowing how to pitch is also a skill.
Look development has to include some lottery tickets, some guys who's talent is so remarkable you can't deny the potential. A lock down reliever, an ace, a 40/40 guy. Voth? Maybe he could be an effective reliever. For THAT you force a guy up the ladder and have him throw 200 major league innings despite not showing the ability to get enough guys out in AAA? No wonder this team can't develop pitching.
Anyway someone else obsessed with spin rate will see the numbers and try to fix him and he won't be any good and he'll be 31/32 and out of baseball. But good for the guy for getting there and trying.
Will Juan Soto be traded? Rizzo today said flat out no. Don't believe him.
Look Juan Soto could very well retire a National. But with the team up for sale that decision will likely be on the new ownership. For now they can't deal Soto because the next guy might want him. The new owners might want to try a quick turnaround or they might see Soto as the type that can be part of the next great team even if it's 5+ years down the road or they might just want a marketable player. In any case you CAN'T deal him until you know how the potential buyers feel.
So will Juan Soto be traded? Not right now. That's the best you can say.
5 comments:
I think a lot of why Voth had such a long rope, even without much history as a significant prospect, is that he pitched 43 innings of 3.30 ERA ball in 2019. And while it looked fluky to all of us at the time because he lacked pedigree (though he was good in the minors in 2015 and 2016), it's not like it was batted ball luck. xERA was 3.43. FIP was 3.79. K/BB 3.38. 1 WAR in 40 innings is like a 4 WAR pace over a complete season. That's not an ace, and he was averaging under 6IP per start, but he was legit good. A solid #3 starter on a team that makes the playoffs.
Given how bad our team has been since then, I don't think it was a misuse of a roster spot to give him lots of chances to figure it out. Even if the upside drastically collapsed after he got moved to the pen.
But, yah, 120 innings of below replacement performance is enough. I wish him luck at his next stop.
Also, Garcia is up!
Apparently his 2 errors on Monday finally convinced the execs he's ready to join our infield defense.
Or maybe it was his recent hot streak: .200/.234/.222 triple slash over the last two weeks.
Hmmm. I can't think of why else they'd decide that he's finally ready...
yay for service time manipulation! But in all seriousness, Garcia better be starting if he's getting called up. If he's playing the utility IF role, it's a waste of everyone's time, especially with Escobar still on the team.
One thing that got noted in an article today is that Davey's option for next year is due at the ASB. Do we think he gets another year? Or does 3 consecutive 19-31ish starts to the season (ignoring the covid year) mean you really just aren't that great at managing a team...
Anon -
Voth... I guess. I know 2019 gave him 2020 - maybe even 2021 bc 2020 was weird. But really it should have been "He's not good. Oh huh a good 2019! Maybe that's something. Oh a bad 2020 no he's not good"
As for Garcia... yeah that the only reason I can think of. It just clicked for him recently.
(my actual guess is they were holding him down after that service time manipulation deadline passed until he had a hot streak but then Escobar got hurt)
everyone's time, especially with Escobar still on the team.
i had been tring this info
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