Aubrey Huff anyone?

[JohnBriggs12]

Here's a guy who bats lefthanded, puts up decent numbers, plays on a team that is in desperate need of back of rotation pitching, and can play either 3B or OF which allows the Brewers the option of Braun or Huff at third with the other guy to the OF. He doesn't have the reputation as a good glove guy but in 105 games at 3B in 06 and 07, he made just 6 errors.

Yes, he's owed $16 million over 2 years, but if they take back an arby starter, that would negate some of that burden.

[Brian the Automator]

Not a bad idea... I don't recall him being that strong at 3B, but admittedly, I've never actually seen him play there.

[TooLiveBrew]

The numbers for him at 3B aren't very pretty - couple that with his incrementally decreased playing time there in the last few seasons, and I think there's fire to that smoke. Not sure about him - his SLG slipped in 2007, and his BB rate with it. And it wasn't simply a case of him not getting enough singles or having a horrific BA (last year's was .280). If he were better defensively, I think this would be an awesome idea, but he doesn't look fit for 3B. I do agree that we match up well with Baltimore in terms of needs/strengths for a trade, though. Maybe Melvin Mora?

[JohnBriggs12]

I brought his name up, not because I was advocating this move necessarily but as one worth discussing.

 

I wouldn't move Braun off of third for Huff myself, but if they got him, I'd start the season with Braun at third and Huff in the OF. Then if Braun didn't show any improvement over say 60-70 games, you'd at least have a somewhat better option (Huff's a career .945 vs. Braun's .895) presumably that could just switch positions without any effect on the offense.

 

The Brewer pitching staff doesn't feature a lot of sinkerballers or slider throwing lefties, which is one reason I don't think having a Gold Glove at third is that big of a priority. Sheets, Villanueva and Vargas and Parra (small sample) are extreme flyball pitchers. Bush. Gallardo, and Capuano are slightly skewed to flyballs. All have a decent amount of strikeouts too. Only Suppan induces a lot of groundballs.

[TooLiveBrew]

Certainly is worth discussing. Fwiw, Huff badmouthed the O's on sports radio this past post-season.

 

And we're not looking to add a gold-glove caliber guy at 3B - just one that doesn't cancel out his offense by being terrible on D. Huff probably isn't as bad as Braun, but he's not much of an upgrade - and since he doesn't provide anything much more than average offense, he's probably an overall below-average solution at 3B. As I mentioned, I think Mora would be the one to target over Huff. The O's are in fire-sale mode, and would probably even eat some of Mora's contract.

[strawbossisevil]

I'd rather have Ensberg. He hasn't signed with anyone yet, has he?

[NievesNoNO]

Not a bad thought. He certainly has some versitility. I'm not sure I like the contract though even if we move Cappy or Vargas. After his first couple seasons I really thought he was going to be a great player.

[TooLiveBrew]

I think that's a good approach, sbie. To the best of my knowledge, Ensberg is still a FA.

[sbrylski]

Jenkins for 1yr/$9M would have been better than Huff in left field for 2yr/$16M + Capuano/Vargas. At third base, I'm rather indifferent, but I sure hope Melvin can find something better. Passing on Jenkins option was only a move to make if you knew you could find a clear cut upgrade.

[Milltownhooker]

The real problem is in CF. Eventually Melvin will realize the best option for third is Bill Hall.

[Zycho32]

IF Melvin were to ever realize that Hall is the best defensive option at Third Base currently on the club, there would have to be a reasonable option at CF worth purchasing at a specific cost... and by 'reasonable' I mean the kind of player that knocks your socks off. Maybe even a statistical performance above what Hall gave us last year.

 

And really, was there a CF option in FA this year who has really good statistical numbers and can play in CF for a large portion of the season without any defensive fallbacks? Because it seems to me that guys who propose Hart, Gross, and Gwynn to take over CF are more or less crossing your fingers that they won't be letdowns at that spot.

[endaround]

There is a great option for CF. Hart.

[Milltownhooker]

A statistical performance above Hall's performance last year is shouldn't be too hard to find. A Lofton/Kapler platoon should exceed Hall's 07 performance. I'd prefer David DeJesus, but who knows if the Royals would trade him.

[MNBrew]

Doug Melvin is a very baseball-smart guy. I think Melvin's very aware of the possibilities of what could be if they were to move Hall back to 3B. It's not like they've not considered the option. They've simply chosen to maintain the course to this point . . . and may keep doing so for some time, especially in light of giving Hall the benefit of some positional stability.

 

Don't forget that Bill Hall was just as much if not a worse defensive mess as Braun when he first came up. Look how he improved. He'll be better in CF. Braun could improve quite a lot at 3rd still, too. True, it may not happen. But it still might. And I don't think the Brewers are crazy for wanting to give that improvement a chance to happen.

 

Back to the original point. Aubrey Huff wouldn't be the worst option if the O's would pick up some of his contract in exchange for Vargas + maybe some prospect. Just a gut feeling, but the Ensberg suggestion seems to me like a worse 3B solution than some think Kendall was at C.

 

I'd throw in Escobar without hesitation, too, whether in a Huff deal or elsewhere. For all of you who seem convinced he's a "plus" prospect, my buddy who watches him a lot every time he's down playing in AZ (Fall League, spring training, etc.) is still completely convinced that Escobar is terrible and a total non-prospect.

[Gopher74]

Doug Melvin is a very baseball-smart guy. I think Melvin's very aware of the possibilities of what could be if they were to move Hall back to 3B. It's not like they've not considered the option. They've simply chosen to maintain the course to this point . . . and may keep doing so for some time, especially in light of giving Hall the benefit of some positional stability.

 

Don't forget that Bill Hall was just as much if not a worse defensive mess as Braun when he first came up. Look how he improved. He'll be better in CF. Braun could improve quite a lot at 3rd still, too. True, it may not happen. But it still might. And I don't think the Brewers are crazy for wanting to give that improvement a chance to happen.

 

Back to the original point. Aubrey Huff wouldn't be the worst option if the O's would pick up some of his contract in exchange for Vargas + maybe some prospect. Just a gut feeling, but the Ensberg suggestion seems to me like a worse 3B solution than some think Kendall was at C.

 

I'd throw in Escobar without hesitation, too, whether in a Huff deal or elsewhere. For all of you who seem convinced he's a "plus" prospect, my buddy who watches him a lot every time he's down playing in AZ (Fall League, spring training, etc.) is still completely convinced that Escobar is terrible and a total non-prospect.

Well, with all due respect, I'm going to go with the dozens of scouts who seem convinced that Escobar is a plus prospect over your buddy simply because I think they're likely more qualified to make such an observation. It could be your friend just doesn't see the tools, he may not like the slap hitting defensive, young Omar Vizquel type SS's...whatever the case may be. The fact is though, he's played well, and he's pretty highly regarded.

 

[MNBrew]

Between Ensberg & Huff...

 

- Ensberg is 1.5 years older - already 32, vs. just turning 31.

- Ensberg has a few more career errors (.955 F%) but in more than a thousand fewer innings than Huff (.967 F%).

- Ensberg hits righty and has a .265 career BA. Huff hits lefty and has a .284 career BA.

- Ensberg has a higher career OPS by about 20 points, largely due to a better walk rate (1 BB/6.5 AB for Ensberg vs. 1/nearly 12 for Huff).

- Ensberg strikes out at a higher rate (roughly 1 K/5 AB) than Huff (roughly 1 per 7 AB)

- Ensberg has pretty much only ever played 3B, while Huff has played lots of 3B and OF with a good chunk of time at 1B, too.

 

SO...

- Huff is younger, lefty, hits & fields better, strikes out less, is more versatile in the field, and has produced generally enough better to stay in the lineup longer to hit more HRs & RBIs even though his production rate on those two is slightly less per AB than Ensberg.

- Ensberg has a higher OBP due to a better walk rate, and has slightly better HR & RBI rates, and probably wouldn't draw as high a salary as Huff.

 

I appreciate the value of OBP a whole lot. But to me the other factors in Huff's favor outweigh the plusses of Ensberg. The salary thing for Huff does get my attention. However, if they could pull in Huff for Vargas, it'd only be about a $5M net increase, which still leaves things mostly a wash financially between the subtractions and additions since October 1st (I'm thinking of TH's blog on this topic). Maybe that's still worth considering...

 

Sorry to ramble so much in the form of thinking out loud. I guess, JB12, your idea does seem to have plenty of merit. Best option? Maybe not. But Lord knows the Crew could do so much worse.

[twobrewers]

Ensberg strikes out at a higher rate (roughly 1 K/7 AB) than Huff (roughly 1 per 5 AB)

Wouldn't that mean Huff strikes out a higher rate?

[trwi7]

- Ensberg has a higher career OPS by about 20 points, largely due to a better walk rate (1 BB/6.5 AB for Ensberg vs. 1/nearly 12 for Huff).

I'm sorry but isn't this exactly what we want? A guy who can bat 2nd to get on base for Braun and Fielder? I really don't care if he's a righty or a lefty as long as he gets on base. Plus, we wouldn't have to give up anything but money to get him and it wouldn't even cost a lot of money. Give him two or three years and $8-12 million. I just get all fuzzy and warm inside when I see his 2006 line where he only hit .235 but had an OBP of almost .400.

[endaround]

Ensberg can play 3B much better than Huff.

[TooLiveBrew]

Exactly. If Huff were slick with the leather, then you could confidently say that you can overlook Ensberg's amazing advantage in BB rate. But in reality, Ensberg is a far better fielder, and a better option at the plate imho.

 

Right on, trwi7. Wasn't that the year he drew 101 BBs with roughly 350 ABs? Sickness. Get down with it, everybody.

[DrWood]

whenever I see an ensberg mention, it seems I'm obligated to mention that he hasn't been the same player since his shoulder injury.

[M Skjellyfetti]

whenever I see an ensberg mention, it seems I'm obligated to mention that he hasn't been the same player since his shoulder injury.

 

While that is theoretically possible, Ensberg injured his shoulder on June 9, 2006. Between May 19 and June 9, Ensberg's stats had already dropped from .282/.402/.624 (probably an unsustainable line for him, anyway) to .256/.380/.562. This drop all occurred while Ensberg was completely healthy. He then proceeded to bruise his shoulder diving for a ball, play through the injury for a while, spend some time on the disabled list, and then finish the season. His final line was .235/.396/.463. He actually improved his OBP after the injury that year. While one could attribute the loss in slugging to his shoulde injuryr, I would argue more that .462 is closer to his true ability than the .557 he put up the year before. Then this year, Ensberg had a down year, no doubt, but I find it hard to believe that he struggled due to a year-old shoulder contusion. I'd guess that his struggles over limited ABs had more to do with extremely low BABIP in 2006 and 2007. I would expect his BABIP to at least revert back toward his career average (.283), 22 points higher than last year. Even if his shoulder contusion somehow affected his ability to hit for power, he has still been able to slug over .400 the past two years. Given his great walk rates and good defense, I would be able to tolerate a .240/.340/.410 line, but I'd expect something more along the lines of .250/.360/.450. Factor in his probable cheap cost, and I would much rather have Ensberg than Huff.

[Milltownhooker]

Ensberg would be a nice addition to the bench & fail safe if Braun continues his error rate.

[wallus]

You would have to assume that Ensberg is the Rolen backup plan. Personally, I am starting to learn towards Ensberg considering we wouldn't have to give up anything.

[strawbossisevil]

All we need is a 3rd baseman who can 1) get on-base and 2) play defense. Ensberg does both, and he's not going to cost us any players, and he won't cost a ton of money. He is not going to light up the scoreboard in the HR department (most likely), or even the BA statline. But he'll make a lot of our solo homeruns into two run homeruns, which is a what we need in the two hole.