Khris Davis to the A's for C Jacob Nottingham and RHP Bubba Derby; Latest: Sean Nolin claimed from A's, too

[trwi7]

 

No word yet on the return.

 

Edit: RHP Bubba Derby and C Jake Nottingham.

[brwrsfan]

The #Brewers have acquired two young prospects, C Jacob Nottingham and RHP Bubba Derby, from Oakland in exchange for OF Khris Davis.

[Outlander]

I liked Davis but I really like the catcher they received in return as well. Davis should fit in well with the Athletics.

[yfinn6]

Isn't he from the Bay Area, too? Has to be kind of nice for him to be able to play closer to home for half the season.

[MrTPlush]

I like the deal assuming Nottingham can stick at catcher. He currently stands as one of the top catching prospects in the game. Not a flashy top 100 prospect, but a top prospect at a thin position so just as good. Also some nice potential in the pitcher.

 

I feel like a Davis trade was always going to happen whether they got a great offer or not. Yes he could improve, but they really needed an OF spot opened up.

 

Thanks for all the bombs Khris Davis

[recte44]

Physical/Health

Impressive physique, football history evident; strong kid, well-proportioned and filled-out; above-average athleticism, movements can get measured and slow down.

Evaluator Wilson Karaman

Report Date 07/30/2015

Dates Seen 6 games, July 2015

Affiliate Stockton Ports (High A, Athletics)

Makeup

Hard-worker, engages his pitchers well; some immaturity, will take bad calls at the plate with him into the next pitch and give away at-bats; extremely competitive, curses loudly when he misses his pitch.

 

MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video

2017 Moderate 60 55/Bat-first starting catcher Yes

Tool Future Grade Report

Hit 50 Wide start-up, slight crouch, hands deep off back shoulder; minimal load, mild bat wrap; quiet hands and top half; long stride with aggressive weight transfer; generates well above-average torque and extreme separation, above-average bat speed with leverage; hands stay back, front elbow stays up, keeps inside the ball with predominantly opposite-field approach; plus track with above-average command of the zone, lets the ball travel well; aggressive in-zone, wants to extend, can be beaten by in-out sequencing, inner-third swing-and-miss.

Power 60 60+ raw to all fields; generates top spin with more linear in-game swing to pull side and up the middle; looks to separate and lift in fastball counts; approach to drive it oppo in games with leverage and strength to take balls out to right; ball carries to right-center.

Baserunning/Speed 40 averaged 4.38 from the right side, long finish; fringe-average first gear, likely to play down as he ages and settles into frame.

Glove 50 Wide, low crouch behind the plate, strong lateral agility; inconsistent blocking technique, frequently gets down on just the left knee leaving right side exposed; struggles to get glove down across his body to arm side; average hands and framing, loose receiving in-zone, will bring pitches out of the zone; calls a good game, executes game plan with minimal shakes.

Arm 55 Plus raw arm strength, long release limits utility; 1.98 pop, accurate arm with average tailing action.

Overall

Nottingham boasts an impressive blend of physicality and acumen, with an athletic, strong frame and realized skills that have taken a significant step forward this year. On offense he features a leveraged swing with strong bat-to-ball skills and the raw strength and approach to take balls out of the yard to the opposite field. While there's some swing-and-miss in his game he shows strong contact skills and the ability to bring a good majority of his power into games.

 

The bat will play, and while it still requires ample projection the raw ingredients of an average-or-better defender behind the plate are present. His athleticism is apparent in his lateral movement, and his receiving has taken a step forward this year. The total package of a bat-first profile with average defensive chops can play to a Role 6 ceiling if it all comes together, and there's plenty here to suggest an above-average backstop when all is said and done.

[Invader3K]

Hearing a lot of positive things about Nottingham. Already being talked about as Lucroy's heir apparent.

[recte44]

Jacob Andrew Nottingham

 

Age: 20 Position: Catcher

 

Bats: Right Throws: Right

 

Height: 6’ 3” Weight: 227 lb.

 

Drafted out of Redlands HS in the 6th Round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft

 

“The Sheriff of Nottingham” (everyone needs a nickname) is supposed to be the prize of the trade and for good reason. Still just 20 years of age, Jacob Nottingham has amazing size for a catcher and contributes heavily with his bat. It’s rare that a player with plus power – which he has demonstrated – also can hit for average. Over his short three-year career in the minors, he has grabbed the attention of many, and using the raving reviews that he’s received, I have compiled an all-you-need-to-know report about the newest addition to the Oakland Athletics farm system.

 

Last year playing for the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian League in rookie ball, he caught the eye of evaluators with his smooth stroke and advanced offensive approach, something not common amongst catchers. These batting traits he carries are not ones that the position he plays tends to develop – its either you have it or you don’t.

 

And Nottingham’s got it.

 

After slashing just .238/.325/.385 in two years of rookie ball, he exploded in 2015. Nottingham absolutely wrecked the Midwest League on the Quad Cities River Bandits (Houston’s Single-A affiliate), slashing .326/.383/.558, while blasting 10 home runs in just 59 games. Easily earning himself a mid-season call up to High-A ball in the California League – known for grooming hitters – he continues to impress. Before being traded, he batted .324 while posting a .974 OPS and while it’s just been 17 games, there’s reason to believe the positive trend is not a fluke.

 

While playing for the River Bandits, according to FanGraphs.com, “Nottingham produced the third-best isolated-power figure (a .217 ISO, specifically) across all of Class-A.” The crazy part is his ISO number – measuring a hitter’s power and how often a player hits for extra bases – is up nearly 70 points in High-A. Another comforting trend is his strikeout percentage (SO/PA) ratio. Although his on-base percentage (OBP) has never fluttered below .300 (lowest is .307), he did have a problem early on with striking out often. His SO/BB reached its peak in 2014 when it ballooned to 27.0%, but in just a year’s span has lowered all the way down to 18.5%.

 

The reason for the huge difference in his batting has been the adjustments he’s made within his swing. When you watch the video below from 2014, you’ll see plenty of pop and plenty of power, something Nottingham naturally has. However, you’ll also see that when he begins his swing, he floats back before coming forward with somewhat of a lunge; in all it’s more of a coiled swing. His hands also flutter and drift back a bit before coming through the zone in sync with his small leg kick. The power is created by his backside becoming stacked before sending all his body through the ball.

 

 

 

The only problem with this is Nottingham makes himself susceptible to off-speed pitches because he naturally commits himself to swing because of the momentum he builds coming towards the ball. It seems like a relatively violent swing. Now take at this video below from 2015, where he is much more “quiet” and relaxed in his swing. What I mean by “quiet” is there isn’t as much motion. His stride isn’t as long, his hands move less and as a result, take a more direct path to the ball. For a guy with natural pop like Nottingham, he doesn’t need the extra coil in his swing like a lot of smaller guys do in order to send the ball out of the yard. There’s more of an ease about him than there was a year prior and from the sound of the ball, it doesn’t seem like they travel any less.

 

 

 

These adjustments made in just a one-year span have made a huge difference in his production.

 

On the other side of the ball, the only knock on the kid is if he will be able to stay behind the plate. FanGraph’s Kiley McDaniel who recently asked a scout about Nottigham’s defense ability the scout told him, “Nottingham gets a little too high or low on himself based on offensive results, and there are some mechanical issues to work out behind the plate, but this is normal for a 20 year old.” Whether or not he’s going to become a Gold Glover – he wont – makes no difference. The A’s have shown they have no problem sticking with ‘offense-first’ type catchers the last couple years: Stephen Vogt, Josh Phegley, Derek Norris, John Jaso. McDaniel’s final projection states, “Nottingham could be an above average everyday catcher.”

 

However, ESPN insider Keith Law feels the newest member of the A’s organization was a steal. In his glowing review, he sees Nottingham as a potential star so long as he can stay behind the plate. Law continues to project the future catcher as someone with a 70-grade raw power – on an 80-point scale – who could eventually develop into a 20 to 25 home run per year guy.

 

Now that’s a reason for Billy Beane to go after him and he expressed it yesterday during an interview on 95.7 The Game on the Damon Bruce Show. “We think that at this stage in his career, he’s got the potential to hit in the middle of the lineup,” he said. “An offensive player at a position that’s typically defensive is something that’s very hard to find, so we’re excited to have him.”

 

A’s fans should be excited too.

Prospect Profile: Jacob Nottingham

[recte44]

The Jason Castro era in Houston is likely to end some way or another by the 2016-17 offseason, when the backstop will be a free agent and the Astros may let him walk to in favor of a less expensive option.

 

By 2017, the next great Astros catcher could be on the cusp of the majors.

Jacob Nottingham, a 20-year-old who was sixth round draft pick in 2013, has burst on to the scene with the Low Class A Quad Cities River Bandits this season, hitting .337 with eight home runs, a .392 on-base percentage and .573 slugging percentage entering Thursday night’s play. That batting average was the 15th best among qualified players in all the minors.

 

Taking April out of the equation (he hit .273), Nottingham’s batting .366 in May and June. He’s a Midwest League All-Star, and the youngest starter named to the roster of the Western Division. Quad Cities (39-19) leads that division and has the best record in the entirety of the league.

 

A 6-3, 200-pounder from Redlands, Calif., Nottingham’s first two years in pro ball saw him hit a combined .238 with six home runs at Rookie ball.

 

“When you take a high school catcher in the draft, there’s a lot of things have to go right for that player to get to the big leagues,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “I remember hearing the video and watching the scouts talk about him and seeing him that first year in Florida, and I was thinking, ‘This is a guy that has a chance, but we’ll have to wait and see how it develops.’

 

 

“He has taken advantage of the opportunity this year and has turned into a top prospect based on both what he’s doing behind the dish as well as at the plate.”

 

Nottingham by phone said he would consider himself an offensive catcher, but that isn’t a label he wants stuck on him. He’s thrown out 14 of 26 would-be base stealers, an excellent 54 percent caught rate. The big league average caught-stealing rate this season is 33 percent.

 

“I’m trying to be an all-around player,” Nottingham said. “I don’t want to be known as a hitting catcher. I want to be known as a great catcher who could take care of the pitcher.”

 

 

A righthanded batter, Nottingham passes credit to Quad Cities’ hitting coach, Joel Chimelis, for his success following they work they’ve done on approach and attempting to zero in on particular pitches.

 

“We try to get away from mechanics,” Nottingham said. “So you don’t overthink it. But just swinging at better pitches, and kind of just being patient in the box and not trying to do too much.”

Nottingham’s manager this year is the same as last year too, Josh Bonifay, who also moved up from Rookie level Greeneville.

 

Last year’s numbers weren’t exactly predictive of this year’s, but a visit to extended spring training set him on the right course.

 

“I’m actually happy that I went to short-season because I felt like I I needed it, and thinking back I think it helped me a lot,” Nottingham said, “And being with Bonifay, he kind of helped me kind of get to know the game and how to play it right. Try to be the best professional that I can.”

 

Nottingham worked on offense in extended, but also worked with catching instructor Mark Bailey on the simplest of things for catchers.

 

“I did a lot of bad things when I was young, just trying to work on those and just be a good catcher, honestly,” Nottingham said.

 

Nottingham’s gotten a little time at first base as well.

 

Nottingham’s signing bonus was $300,000, slightly over slot, but he had to prove he was healthy after he was hurt his junior year. He hit first base wrong and had a tear in his right knee that required surgery but only kept him down five months, and today, has no problems with the knee, he said.

 

“It’s strong,” he said. “I’m catching a lot.”

 

There were other options. He could have gone to play football at the University of Arizona, or the University of Oklahoma for baseball.

 

“Me and my dad talked about it,” Nottingham said. “Just talking with him about it I just knew baseball would always be my passion. …I didn’t want to play football just because of the weight they wanted me to gain, and that wasn’t going to help me in baseball. We just decided that baseball was going to be a goal of mine.”

 

Football, Nottingham said, has influenced his leadership style on the field, and his toughness. There aren’t better qualities for a catcher to have than those.

Jacob Nottingham making mark as top Astros catching prospect

[recte44]

Jacob Nottingham

 

Can you slap some present and future grades on his hit/power/run/arm/blocking-receiving? (Also, feel free to lay down some general thoughts on his game.)

 

WK: 50/60/30/50/50. The raw power's 60-plus, and he should be able to get to the vast majority of it in games. Swing's highly leveraged, takes a big stride and creates extreme separation. That'll make him vulnerable to quality off-speed and breaking stuff, as it creates some balance issues in his weight transfer. But he already shows an advanced ability to track and let the ball get deep, and he's strong enough to take it out to right.

 

In your transaction analysis at Baseball Prospectus, it's clear you love Jake's: body, athleticism and raw power. The tools, however, sound like they still need some serious burnishing. Given the presumed gap between his present and future grades, what makes you confident -- or not confident -- he hits that 55/60 ceiling (i.e. above-average, possibly impact regular)?

 

WK: He's already made a ton of strides from where he was this time last year. He was drafted as a long term project, and especially given that he's a catcher these things take some time. The raw physicality is enough for me to be optimistic, but I've also gotten great reports on his makeup and intelligence. He's a hard-working kid, and when you have that kind of physical toolbox to mix with some #want it allows for projection with at least marginally more confidence.

 

Can you describe his approach at the plate? You say he's aggressive in the zone and shows some swing-and-miss. Do you think the swing-and-miss is due to: long levers, inability to recognize spin, hand-eye coordination, bat speed... something else? Does he appear to make adjustments well?

 

WK: He tracks well and has plus bat speed, it's more a product of the length in his frame and approach he takes. He's best when he's getting extended and taking balls to right, and he can be beaten with good in-out sequencing. He'll also get after fastballs early in the count in parts of the zone where he'd be better served taking the strike and working into the count. Certainly not uncommon for hitters at his level.

 

Thoughts on his defense?

 

WK: He's got everything he needs to become an average defensive catcher. The blocking and receiving are both still fairly raw, he struggles to get all the way across his body on balls down low, etc. For the most part it's mechanical stuff that he'll improve on as he goes. Similarly his raw arm strength is a plus tool, but he throws with a lot of length in his motion and he's not compact enough in how he loads it up. I'm not sure it ever plays to anything more than average. But given the bat profile, an average defensive projection makes him a potentially very valuable player.

 

Where would you rank him in the A's system right now?

 

WK: Not familiar enough with the full system to put a number on that, sorry. He'd be my No. 2 prospect in Stockton right now though, behind Barreto and ahead of Chapman and Overton.

 

Did Lululemon change his life?

 

WK: I wouldn't be surprised, never underestimate the power of comfy clothes.

 

Oakland A's trades: Jacob Nottingham and Daniel Mengden a 'very solid haul' for Scott Kazmir

[Warning Track Power]

Nottingham is from my hometown in California. Got a new favorite Brewer!

[recte44]

2013 Draft Profile:

 

Summary

 

If you want some upside and some projection, this kid has it. He's definitely a project, but the upside definitely there. At first look, he looks like a right fielder as he stands 6-3 and is very lean, yet strong at 200 pounds. He then steps into the batters box and has a tall stance and you see a guy with power. Then, you see him put on catcher's gear and his defensive value shoots up!

 

He's an athlete. He's a pure athlete. He was offered a scholarship to play tight end at Arizona but chose a baseball scholarship to Oklahoma. Now he's faced with the decision to play for the Astros. I've already described his frame, but now you can understand the level of athleticism people see with him. He moves very well and will only improve now that he's focused on baseball.

 

At the plate, the swing is long. He's going to have to shorten up his swing and get his hands lower. But, his strength and height create very good leverage to create some loft in his swing and project for power. It's actually quite easy to see a scenario where he provides plus power. The batting average won't be great, but it can be good enough. He also has a pretty good eye and discipline. So, even though there are holes in his swing, he could have a pretty good OBP down the road.

 

Defensively is where the major project aspect comes in. No matter how good of a receiver, blocker, any catching aspect you are out of high school, it's a long way to being a good one at the major league level. There's a lot to learn. He has the athleticism, he has the understanding and is smart enough to take it all on though. He currently shows some good receiving skills and has a strong arm. He currently is posting pop times in the 1.9 range and could get better as he cleans up his throwing motion.

 

If it doesn't work out, he runs well enough and has the arm for right field.

 

Floor

 

He could end up putting on too much strength and outgrows catcher. With that, a corner outfield position is not out of the question. If that happens he could be a reserve outfielder with some pop in pinch hit situations as his major league floor.

 

Ceiling

 

I can see his upside of being above average defensively and having plus power from the right side. With his plate discipline giving above-average level OBP skills and then power, he could be an all-star level catcher. That's his ultimate ceiling that you can dream on.

 

2013 Draft Sixth Round Pick: Jacob Nottingham, C, Redlands HS (CA)

[recte44]

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/67565098/v132123983/draft-report-bubba-derby-college-pitcher

[DHonks]

yfinn6, Davis was from Glendale, Arizona

[recte44]

In a season full of inconsistencies for the Vermont Lake Monsters, there have been few bright spots. The offense has struggled to put together explosive performances on consecutive nights while the pitching staff tries to avoid the one bad inning that has haunted them.

 

Don’t count Bubba Derby among them.

 

The sixth round pick out of San Diego State by the Oakland A’s has been dominant on the mound for Vermont. On a staff that rarely allows pitchers to go more than three innings per outing in an attempt to relieve arm stress, Derby has recorded 35 strikeouts in just 29.1 innings of work, the highest mark on the team.

 

The latest spurt of dominance came Wednesday against Tri-City. Getting his ninth start of the season, and eleventh appearance overall, Derby struck out five batters in three innings of work, giving up just one hit and pushing his scoreless innings mark to 13.2.

 

“To be honest I didn’t feel 100 percent today,” Derby said of his performance. “Two days off (for the All Star break), I enjoyed it, had fun, relaxed, but coming back today I felt a little sluggish. Going from everyday moving, doing something, to the past two days not doing much, I felt a little sluggish, a little off, but it’s days like those where you got to find it.”

 

Derby struck out the side in the first before giving up an infield single to Bobby Wernes. Lake Monster shortstop Richie Martin ranged up the middle for Wernes’ soft grounder, making a diving stop, but was unable to beat the runner at first.

 

Derby followed by inducing a pair of fly outs and a strikeout to work around trouble.

 

Derby went back to work in the third, working a pop out and groundout to first, before striking out Tri City centerfielder Johnny Sewald for the second time.

 

Kyle Friedrichs followed Derby on the mound for Vermont, surrendering seven runs in 0.2 innings of work, giving up six hits in the process, taking the loss for Vermont as the Lake Monsters fell 9-2.

 

Over his previous nine outings, Derby has struck out at least three batters eight times, including his last five appearances. Derby has given up the fewest earned runs (2) among pitchers with at least 20 innings of work, while the next closest is Heath Bowers with eight earned runs in 24.1 innings.

 

“Obviously it makes my job a little easier knowing I’m not going to be out there for three hours pitching the whole time,” Derby said. “I try to keep things as simple as possible. Just go out there and throw strikes, whether it’s for three innings, whether it’s for nine innings, or one.”

 

In Derby’s eight three strikeout performances, Vermont has gone 5-3, including Wednesday’s route, with the previous two losses coming by just three runs overall. The loss to Tri-City ends a three game winning streak in appearances by Derby as Vermont tries to catch Lowell and State College for the lead in the Stedler Division and the Wild Card. Vermont is five games behind both.

 

“It’s mostly just throwing strikes,” said Derby of his pitching approach. “You put it up there and you can only control one thing and that’s throwing it over the plate. Obviously you want to miss barrels but you can’t control whether they hit it or not. You’ve got defense behind you for days. If you get ground balls or you get fly balls, they’re going to track it down.”

 

While Derby is consistently inducing swings and misses, he’s also limited base runners all together, boasting a 0.72 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), the lowest among Vermont’s 20 inning pitchers and fourth lowest overall, while the three pitchers below him have thrown a combined 23.2 innings.

 

Derby’s dominance didn’t just start in Vermont. In three seasons with the Aztecs, Derby compiled 270 strikeouts in 233 innings of work, including 131 his junior season. Derby accounted for 25.6 percent of the Aztecs 510 strikeouts his junior year, while leading the league with 100 strikeouts his sophomore season.

 

Prior to his sophomore year, Derby was still searching for a decisive out pitch. His changeup often cut on him and he was using his slider as his secondary pitch until one day while sitting on the couch, Derby stumbled upon the pitch that is quickly becoming his out pitch.

 

“One day during the fall I was sitting on the couch watching TV, holding a baseball, and out of no where I grabbed a changeup grip. I looked at and I was like, ‘what is this? This feels good.’ So the next day playing catch I tried it out and my buddy couldn’t catch it, it was hitting him. From there I thought I could dabble with it a little.”

 

What followed was over 200 strikeouts in just two seasons, leading the Mountain West Conference. Derby asked around, attempting to see if anyone else had stumbled upon his newfound changeup. He was alone.

 

And alone he left batters at the plate, whiffing at thin air as his change ‘drops like a splitter and pronates out like a changeup.’

 

“If I’m throwing that thing and it’s on, I trust it. If they hit it hopefully they hit it into the ground, if not hopefully they’re swinging over it.”

 

In Vermont, the pitch is slowly growing upon the staff. James Naile recently adopted the pitch, leading Derby to naming his creation.

 

“I told myself, if one person throws it, that’s one thing, but if you got two people throwing it, you gotta name it. So I put a name to the thing, and the best name I could think of was ‘The Falcon.’ The way you grip it is like a talon, I think that’d be a great name for it. So I started calling it the falcon and it’s been the pitch that has been working for me ever since spring at San Diego State. “

 

As the Falcon wrecks havoc on opposing hitters, Derby’s ERA continues to drop, plunging to a 0.68 mark. He hasn’t allowed more than two hits in any of his three innings outings and has surrendered just four runs overall. Opposing hitters are batting just .174, including a .167 mark with runners in scoring position.

 

While Derby’s ERA and opposing batting averages quickly drop, his efficiency steadily rises, something Vermont desperately needs on a roster starving for consistency.

Bubba Derby Continues to Baffle

[craigharmann]

In Stearns I trust. What a trade. Wonder what his return on Lucroy will be?

[Bnowell4evr]

Nottingham was ranked 66th on the new Baseball Prospectus Top 101!

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28319

[recte44]

Bowdien “Bubba” Derby, LaSalle High School and San Diego State University standout, has made some big waves since being drafted by the Oakland Athletics in June. A proud California native and now an Oakland Athletic, Bubba cruised through his 2015 campaign.

 

Before Derby was taken in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, he was a member of the 2014 All-Mountain West Conference first team at San Diego State University. The former Aztec posted an ERA of 3.08 (sixth best in the conference) and struck out 100 batters (second in conference) in 2014.

 

The vicious righty played most of his 2015 season with the Vermont Lake Monsters in the Single-A New York-Penn League. In 12 games he sat down 45 batters in 34.2 innings and gave up just three earned runs, earning him an ERA of just 0.78 with a WHIP of 0.84. Batters recorded a mere .161 against Bubba in the unfriendly New York-Penn League where a lot of pitchers have struggled, making him that much more impressive.

 

Bubba has excelled in the New York-Penn League with his ability to keep pushing and not falling victim to fatigue. In this league pitchers throw everyday, whether it be in the game or off to the side. Some pitchers get shut down due to fatigue, but Derby didn’t succumb to that fate.

 

“What you do off the field is just as important as on the field. You got to take care of your body, because your body will respond to what you are eating and what you’re drinking.” Bubba stated.

 

The Lake Monster is always looking forward to another day in baseball and always wanting to learn more without settling for anything less than exceptional. In the instructional league, Derby loved learning new throwing techniques and couldn’t wait to get out on the mound to try them out. “I left instructional league like I was ready for the season.” Bubba said.

 

Growing up rooting for the Yankees, the young righty is a new found A’s fan since being given a chance to live his dream in Oakland. “I grew up rooting for the Yankees because my dad’s family is originally from New York, so I’ve always been a fan of Jeter especially, but now I’m a fan of the A’s because they gave me a chance to live my dream.”

 

Since being drafted by a California team, Derby’s family will have front row seats watching Bubba give his all to achieving his dream. 27 Outs asked the Arcadian native what his thoughts were on being drafted by a Cali team. “It was a great feeling just in general to get drafted. It was something I dreamed of as a child, but it’s obviously a plus to be drafted by a team my family doesn’t live too far from.” Bubba said.

 

Inspired by the old school style of baseball, Bubba looks up to players like Derek Jeter. “He is a true leader and great role model for all,” Bubba said of Jeter. Not one for gloating or being a fan of it, Derby is all about having good character not only off the field, but on it.

 

Knowing the importance of pitcher-catcher relationships also contributed to his successes this year, and knowing that without it you won’t have a good game, or season for that matter. “I think that is one of the most important relationships in the game. You have to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and you always have to be on the same page. Having a good relationship with your catcher can make a great difference in a game and in a season.”

 

When it comes to his successes this season, Bowdien gives credit to the big man upstairs: “I believe my faith is what kept me going this season. It’s a long season away from your family and my faith in God is what kept me on the right path to staying healthy physically and mentally.”

 

“How you handle success is just as important how you handle failure.” – Bowdien “Bubba” Derby, RHP/Oakland A’s

 

Bowdien Bubba Derby: Player Profile

[Invader3K]

Our new catcher kind of has a resemblance to a young Jose Canseco. Twitter handle is @JayNott

 

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[MrTPlush]

I can now sleep well knowing Davis was indeed worth a top prospect.

[homer]

John Sickels has Nottingham rated 5th best in Oakland's organization:

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/1/12/10743974/oakland-athletics-top-20-prospects-for-2016

[Baldkin]

 

That's all I've got.

[logan82]

I love this trade. Who did we get?

[Eye Black]

Nottingham is an exciting catching prospect to add to the system. Sounds like there is still work to do on the defensive side, but certainly appears to have the offensive chops to be a valuable catcher.

 

I really like these Stearns trades thus far.

[torts]

So.... awesomr