Brandon Wood DFAd by Angels

[Hate those Rodents]

He's still young, was a top prospect, and Roenicke is very familiar with him. We also have a real need for a SS, especially at AAA. He has been horrendous in the majors however. I still have to believe we'll try and clear a spot to add him (or maybe trade one of our backup catchers to the Angels for him). Thoughts?

[Oldcity]

Man this guy used to be a stud prospect. I remember him being off-limits in a potential Carlos Lee trade. He's sort of suffering from Alex Gordon Syndrome: Dominating AAA but never doing anything in the Majors. I know his defense was questionable at shortstop, which caused his move to third. I'd still take him over Betancourt, and I would guess the Angels will still have plenty of suitors.

[DHonks]

I'd take Wood for AAA/IF depth. The hope would be we find a miracle with a Jose Guillen, Jose Bautista, or Nelson Cruz-like transformation from AAAA player to big league impact player. I'd happily get rid of Almonte, Kotsay, or Nieves to find a roster spot for him. OF course, the best spot is AAA depth.

 

Oh yeah, and he went to the school I teach at!

[DHonks]

following up my previous post and my edit, I remember hearing that the major difference between being a good AAA player and being a good big leaguer is ample opportunities. For instance, Kieschnick used to mash AAA, but was sent down after a hot start one year and was never the same as a hitter. Kevin Barker and Mat Gamel have been stud Brewers minor leaguers that struggle in the majors in part because of a lack of playing time. Keeping that in mind, his career AAA stats:

330 games (1288 PA) 78 2b 8 3b 77 hr 236 rbi 225 runs 129 bb 327 k .283/.350/.536/.886

 

by looking at those rates, if he were to play a full season in AAA it's reasonable to expect numbers around:

30-25 2b 30-35 hr 100 rbi 90 runs 55 walks 170 ks

 

knock those down a bit, and it's possible he could be a shortstop capable of hitting around .240 with a .300 obp, good defense (at least early in his career), and 20-25 hr power. So really that's sort of like a Jose Hernandez-type, which isn't terrible

[endaround]

Wood has had the opportunities though. He has had 494 PAs in the majors and hit .168/.197/.259. Alex Gordon hasn't been a stud but he's been an average player. Gamel in the majors has hit .241/.335/.414, his struggles have been greatly exaggerated. Wood would need to be on the roster and while there is room with right now not sure having him replace Almonte/Nieves does anything.

[NievesNoNO]

Wood has had some opportunity, but not a consistent opportunity, weather that would make a difference at all I don't know. He's been a beast in the minors, so he has absolutely nothing to prove there. He's probably the best fit on a team that's willing to run him out there everyday at 3b or SS and see what happens for the entire year. Seattle or Pittsburgh maybe?? Best case he'd maybe end up being a Mark Reynolds type. I guess it really shows how much better the pitching is at the major league level is.

 

The Brewers do have a need in the system so I guess he'd fit the bill there. I'm not sure he's a fit on the MLB roster at this point though. If they were willing to let him play SS everyday then I'd say sure, but I don't think that's happening. Personally, I would let him do it as he has way more upside than Yuni and even if he didn't improve at all there really wouldn't be much difference.

[Hate those Rodents]

The Roenicke connection and our lack of organization depth at SS has to mean we'll get in the mix for him, doesn't it?

[Invader3K]

One would hope the Brewers at least take a look. I mean, we just signed 37 year old Luis Figueroa to a minor league deal.

[Warning Track Power]

following up my previous post and my edit, I remember hearing that the major difference between being a good AAA player and being a good big leaguer is ample opportunities. For instance, Kieschnick used to mash AAA, but was sent down after a hot start one year and was never the same as a hitter. Kevin Barker and Mat Gamel have been stud Brewers minor leaguers that struggle in the majors in part because of a lack of playing time. Keeping that in mind, his career AAA stats:

330 games (1288 PA) 78 2b 8 3b 77 hr 236 rbi 225 runs 129 bb 327 k .283/.350/.536/.886

 

by looking at those rates, if he were to play a full season in AAA it's reasonable to expect numbers around:

30-25 2b 30-35 hr 100 rbi 90 runs 55 walks 170 ks

 

knock those down a bit, and it's possible he could be a shortstop capable of hitting around .240 with a .300 obp, good defense (at least early in his career), and 20-25 hr power. So really that's sort of like a Jose Hernandez-type, which isn't terrible

Sounds an awful lot like Yuni B.

 

As a side, I brought up Erick Aybar/Macier Izturis in a thread this offseason as potential targets for SS. My post regarding Wood I will post here:

 

I saw Wood play in an A game in Rancho Cucamonga in 2005. This year he hit .321, 43 HR, 115 RBI. Dude was amazing. Somthing to the tune of 4-5 2 HRs and a triple. Best game I have ever seen a minor leaguer have. Just phenomenal. I went to probably 5 or 6 Angel games last season. He started all of them and had 1 hit. Unfortunately, the dude just can't hit major league pitching. He has had many, MANY opportunities to grab 3B and claim it as his own. Classic AAAA player. I may take a flyer on him but wouldn't give up much. Probably not even Parra.

 

Obviously my line about Parra was right on but especially now. I actually would love, LOVE to take a flyer on Wood and simply give him Almonte's spot on the roster. I know we are worried about organizational depth so a ticket to Nashville may be better, but having another IF on the roster rather than a 6th OF in Almonte (when Hart returns)would certainly be more beneficial, even if it is just for depth.

 

I would do this in a heartbeat. It also rings of a Melvin-move (Scott Podsednik, Brady Clark, Derrick Turnbow, Casey McGehee) to me.

[yoshii8]

The Roenicke connection and our lack of organization depth at SS has to mean we'll get in the mix for him, doesn't it?

I'm sure he's seen enough of him to determine if he's worth a flyer or not. So my guess is if we aren't interested, Roenicke thinks he is doesn't have much of a chance of ever being a good player. Based on his minor league numbers I would love to see a young guy like Wood take the spot of either Almonte or Nieves.

[Gobias Industries]

Wood has had the opportunities though. He has had 494 PAs in the majors and hit .168/.197/.259. Alex Gordon hasn't been a stud but he's been an average player. Gamel in the majors has hit .241/.335/.414, his struggles have been greatly exaggerated. Wood would need to be on the roster and while there is room with right now not sure having him replace Almonte/Nieves does anything.

Yep. He's had nearly 500 pa and the signs point to him being aaaa. Watching a brandon wood ab is torture. I don't think I've ever seen a player more overmatched.

 

Alex Gordon = Rickie Weeks. Both were labeled as busts because they didn't rake from day 1 but in reality both are avg players.

[chuckiehacks]

Alex Gordon = Rickie Weeks.

Not sure I agree with this. Weeks didn't rake from day 1, but he also battled injuries. When healthy, he's been pretty good.

 

I think Wood is out of options, so AAA isn't really a choice. He'd have to stay on the major league roster, and I seriously doubt RR or DM would pick him up to start. If he's on the bench, his history doesn't indicate he'd be any better than what we already have.

[endaround]

Gordon has also battled injuries. Gordon's biggest crime is not being Tulo, Braun, or Zimmerman.

[RockCoCougars]

Brandon Wood is pure garbage. Not even mentioning the .952 career fielding percentage at shortstop, at the plate, he makes Betancourt look like ARod in his prime. I'd rather call up whoever is playing short in Appleton at this point than relying on Wood for anything.

 

Alex Gordon has Phil Nevin written all over him. Not a bad thing, but no where near the hype either.

[Warning Track Power]

I understand he's shown nothing in the majors, but with our absolute terrible depth at shortstop, does it really hurt to take a look by claiming him on waivers? I'm not 100% sure how claiming someone off of waivers works in MLB, but we only would be responsible for his salary ($420,000) at that time correct?

 

Interesting article from MLB Trade Rumors, more speculative than anything.

[endaround]

I understand he's shown nothing in the majors, but with our absolute terrible depth at shortstop, does it really hurt to take a look by claiming him on waivers? I'm not 100% sure how claiming someone off of waivers works in MLB, but we only would be responsible for his salary ($420,000) at that time correct?

 

Interesting article from MLB Trade Rumors, more speculative than anything.

Right now he has been DFA'd which is basically an announcement that the Angels are planning to waive him. He can still be traded in the next 10 days. If he isn't traded then he is waived and teams have a shot at claiming him based upon last years record at this point I believe. It goes by worse record in the AL then the NL. If the player makes it through waivers he can be assigned to the minors. If he previously been waived he can claim free agency instead of going to the club's minor league system.

 

The claiming team assumes the contract.

[JohnBriggs12]

Pittsburgh is interested. Parra for Wood does make sense but at this point, I don't want to have to carry either of those two on my active roster and I assume Wood is out of options also.

[nate82]

According to McCalvy's twitter Wood was discussed. Link

[billyjohnston77]

Pirates claimed him today

[reillymcshane]

Nice move for the pirates. Give Wood the SS job, tell him to relax, play his game. The team is not going to win this year - no matter how good or bad he plays. He's replacing Ronnie Cedeno - it's not like he's taking the spot of a really productive player, or a guy with upside. If Wood flames out, no great loss. If he steps up and improves in the new environment, the team (and Wood) win big time.

 

Personally, I'm skeptical Wood pans out, but it's not a huge risk to give him a shot.

[danzig6767]

I wonder what happened with this guy?

 

Of course Wood isn't the first big time prospect to not be able to perform in the big leagues, but for a guy to hit like he did in the minors and then only post a line of .168/.197/.259/.455 in the bigs is puzzling given just how horrific those numbers are, even if it's in only 494 at bats. The only 13 walks in those 494 at bats is very ugly, but so is the .168 batting average and .259 SLG.

[cheezscott]

didnt every AL team pass on him thru waivers, thats surprising...one quick question how waivers work lets say he got put on waivers on the third day of the season and the Yankees were 0-3 would they have first dibs? or do waivers go off 2010 season ending standings??? Thanks

[chuckiehacks]

This early in the season, I think it goes off of last year's record. I also don't think there is a league distinction - it's purely 2010 record. Pretty sure Keith Law tweeted about this, specific to Wood.

[cheezscott]

Can anyone tell for sure. I looked at three different sources, including the always reliable Wikipedia and got three different answers, lol

[DocLuna7]

I am 99 percent sure that within the first thirty days of the season it's based on last year's record.