Aug / Sept. Transactions: LHP Sam Narron, Waivers, Texas

[MassBrew]

colbyjack, based on what Roque Mercedes showed this summer, let's pretend that was known at the time of the draft last June and that the Dominican right-hander was draft-eligible. Is this the equivalent of a fifth-round signing? Higher? Lower? What's your guess?

 

Thanks batman, for doing the legwork and digging up the info on the young man based on the initial signing report.

[colbyjack]

Definitely a top 5 pick, and that's exactly what the Brewers are looking for when signing such players, including DFE candidates and even evidenced by the big bonus they gave Periard. Again, quality over quantity. You just can't complain about the Brewers being cheap when it comes to player development.

[Vgmastr]

Bumping this up to mention that the Brewers claimed LHP Sam Narron off waivers from Texas today.

 

LINK

[MassBrew]

58 K in 155 innings? and he's a 6'7" lefty?

 

He doesn't walk anyone, either -- relies on his defense.

 

Pro career began in 2002:

 

www.sports-wired.com/play...Name=CCAGI

 

Must have an interesting skill set -- we'll get more on him later this evening; I've also contacted Jamey Newberg (Rangers' fan site, second only to Brewerfan) for his input.

 

Ranger connection -- Podsednik, Kolb, Davis, Santos....Narron?

[MassBrew]

From Gerry Fraley, Dallas Morning News, July 30th:

 

ARLINGTON ? Sam Narron, a tall and skinny left-hander, will make his major league debut for the Rangers tonight.

 

The bar is set low for him.

 

The Rangers on Thursday night received another ragged performance by a starting pitcher not named Drese or Rogers. R.A. Dickey gave up leads of 3-2 and 5-3 without finishing the fourth inning against Oakland at Ameriquest Field in Arlington.

 

The Athletics won, 7-6, pushing the Rangers out of first place for the first time since July 4. The Rangers can blame the Nos. 3-4-5 spots in the rotation for letting Oakland get off the floor and back into the division lead.

 

Since the break, that cast of characters is a combined 1-5 with a 7.93 ERA for eight starts.

 

It falls upon Narron, 12-1 this season at the top two levels of the minor league system, to give the Rangers a chance. He would be hard-pressed to do worse.

 

"They're throwing me right into the fire, but that's OK," Narron said. "I'm sure I'll be a little nervous. If you're not nervous up here, there's probably something wrong."

 

Narron is already a footnote in club history.

 

He is the first player to reach the majors after being drafted and developed by assistant general manager Grady Fuson, whose stay with the club officially ended Thursday.

 

When Fuson jumped from Oakland for his doomed tenure with the Rangers, he left behind rotation aces Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito along with promising fifth starter Rich Harden. Fuson drafted all of them.

 

Fuson's legacy with the Rangers consists of the lone major leaguer in Narron and some promising minor league arms that have no guarantees.

 

That's not a slap at Fuson. It is a reminder that a team dependent upon scouting and player development, as the reformed Rangers say they are, must be patient.

 

This draft-develop way does not bring instant gratification.

 

Fuson ran three drafts for the Rangers. The first, in 2002, could end up as unproductive as the Rangers' infamous 1989 draft, in which Texas Tech safety Donald Harris was the organization's first-round pick.

 

Shortstop Drew Meyer, the first pick in 2002, probably will never be anything more than a utility player. The Rangers gave up their second- through fifth-round picks as free-agent compensation.

 

On draft day 2002, when second cousin Jerry Narron still managed the Rangers, Sam Narron seemed like a long shot to be pitching in a pennant race two years later. A total of 228 pitchers had been selected when the Rangers drafted Narron in the 15th round.

 

Teams shied away from Narron because he does not throw hard. A major league scout compared Narron to Tampa Bay left-hander John Halama, whose fastball stays in the low 80-mph range.

 

The fastball is Narron's third pitch, behind the curveball and the change-up. He is not a left-hander out of the mold of Kenny Rogers, who came up throwing hard and then learned to pitch.

 

The scout gave Narron high grades for his ability to throw strikes and knowing how to use a lanky 6-7 frame to hide the ball. With Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma this season, Narron allowed only 25 walks in 114 innings.

 

There are other pluses.

 

Narron was an academic All-America at East Carolina. His minor league record is 28-6. He took a line drive off the face last season while pitching with Class A Stockton and returned to the mound 10 days later.

 

The limitations will be obvious.

 

Narron will not knock the bat out of anyone's hands. He has averaged only 3.6 strikeouts per nine innings this season.

 

He is hittable. In the Texas League, opponents batted .267. In the Pacific Coast League, opponents hit .294. Major league hitters will take the same pitches that minor league hitters chase.

 

If the Rangers add a veteran starting pitcher, this could be Narron's only appearance of the season.

 

Or this could be the start of another tale of unexpected success that has marked pennant-winning teams.

 

Think of the irony.

 

The Rangers fired a Narron but could be helped by another family member.

 

"That's the way the game works," said general manager John Hart, who dismissed Jerry Narron after the 2002 season. "I have great respect for Jerry, but I don't regret bringing Buck [showalter] in here. I'm excited for Sam."

 

So is Grady Fuson, watching from afar.

[molitor fan]

i know another poster fleetingly mentioned the distant possibility of bring Fuson in here, but could this just be an indication of such an unlikely, but supercool event?http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/happy.gif

[MassBrew]

I'm really rooting for the Rangers in the AL West, but here's some Texas fan gnashing of teeth over losing a kid like Narron while holding both Manny Alexander and Andy Fox on the 40-man:

 

www.dallasbaseballhome.co...mp;start=0

[MassBrew]

Jamey Newberg and his "Newberg Report" staffer Michael Hindman passed on the following, which they've gone online with this year. Thanks to both!

 

People will likely think of two things when they hear of Sam Narron: (1) Family Ties (he's former Rangers manager Jerry Narron's second cousin and his grandfather, also Sam, was briefly a player for the Cardinals who later became Sandy Koufax's bullpen catcher with the Dodgers); and (2) he had his face rearranged by a comebacker in 2003.

 

These nuggets of trivia should never cloud anyone's understanding that the 6'7" Narron is:

 

(1) a damn fine pitcher (10-4 with a 3.48 ERA, 75 K's & 19 walks in 104 frames for Stockton in 2003 and a cumulative 14-2 record this year between double A Frisco and triple A Oklahoma);

 

(2) Smart as a whip: Graduating magna *** laude with a 3.647 GPA in Biology at East Carolina is far more impressive than the 2.67 ERA he had in his final collegiate season;

 

(3) Funny as they come: His retort to a reporter who asked if he had any fear when he returned to the mound in 2003 after missing time with a broken jaw and teeth caused by a comebacker was "What do you expect me to do? Curl up on the mound in the fetal position and suck my thumb?" and his impression of Will Ferrell doing Harry Caray is allegedly dead on; and--of course

 

(4) One tough SOB.

 

With all due respect to Narron, for whom I have much respect, there is a bit of a sense that his tremendous season was the result of a considerable amount of smoke and plenty of mirrors. But then, that's what Sam Narron is all about in a way. When folks in the organization publicly state that he doesn't have much in the way of stuff, you take note. He gets the job done with an intelligent approach more than anything else.

 

Narron gives up a few too many long balls (20 in 154 innings this year) and he doesn't strike anyone out (27 in 53.1 IP with Frisco and 31 in 101 innings with Oklahoma). With Frisco, his 2.36 ERA was a bit misleading in that he gave up 23 runs, but only 14 were "earned." Oddly, Narron, a lefty, was far more effective against right-handed hitters in Frisco (as he was at Stockton in 2003) and just the opposite in Oklahoma where righties pounded him to the tune of a .341 batting average against while lefties hit only .204 off of him.

 

MassBrew: Thanks again, guys. If his AAA numbers vs. lefty's can hold up, he may be an effective lefty specialist. Unfortunately, his numbers in the lower minors reflected a reverse platoon. Truly weird, and a pretty unique 40-man talent for now. A free look for the 23-year-old off the waiver wire, hard to complain about that.

 

Posted earlier, but here's his career numbers (minus the L/R splits):

 

www.sports-wired.com/play...Name=CCAGI

[MassBrew]

Sam Narron's Hometown Paper in Goldsboro, NC:

 

Sam Narron picked up by Brewers

 

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The Milwaukee Brewers claimed former Eastern Wayne and East Carolina University standout Sam Narron off waivers from the Texas Rangers Friday afternoon.

 

Narron, a 23-year old left-hander, made one appearance with the Rangers at the major league level this season, allowing four runs in 2 2/3 innings in a start against Oakland.

 

At the Minor League level, Narron was a combined 14-2 with a 3.72 ERA in 30 games with 24 starts between Triple A Oklahoma and Double A Frisco this season.

 

"It's been a great year," Narron said. "I was very fortunate this year starting in the bullpen in Double A and working my way up. It came up a little short for us in Oklahoma, but it's been a special year for sure."

 

The 6-foot-7, 200-pounder is in the Brewers Instructional League team in Arizona.

 

"I'm looking forward to it. Anytime you get claimed, it means somebody wants you," Narron said. "This is all positive for me. I had my first work out today (Saturday) and met some of the guys. I think we have a good group here.

 

"I'm here for them to get to know me, and I'm looking forward to it."

 

Milwaukee moved its Triple A affiliate from Indianapolis to Nashville recently. Narron is hoping he will be assigned to the Triple A team next spring.

 

"Hopefully I will be in Triple A, but that's up to them. That's up in the air right now," he said.

 

Johnny Narron, Sam's uncle, managed the rookie Helena, Montana team in the Brewers' organization last season.

 

"Maybe that helped a little bit, they may have talked to him," Narron said. "I would like to think it was all me, but him putting a good word in for me probably helped a little."

 

By Gabe Whisnant

Published in Sports on September 26, 2004 02:02 AM