Matt Capps, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates: I do understand why the Pirates non-tendered Capps; the arbitration process wildly overvalues saves -- and Capps was headed for a salary that the Pirates felt exceeded his likely value to the team. It does provide a cautionary tale for low-payroll clubs with closers, however: trade them while their value is high, because one bad season can leave you with nothing. Capps has good-to-plus control of an above-average fastball, but his mediocre changeup has left him vulnerable to left-handed hitters, who torched him in 2009 for an .342/.373/.641 line, by far the biggest platoon split he's shown; he gave up eight home runs to left-handed hitters, all on fastballs. Because he throws strikes and just had some bad luck on balls in play in 2009, he's worth a flier as a right-handed specialist who has late-game experience, but I wouldn't give him closer money.
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4741332&name=law_keith
8 months ago
dtoddwin
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