Pirates Sign Doug Slaten to Minor League Deal With NRI
As noted by BadAndy in the FanShots, the ex-Nat will compete for a job as a lefty specialist in the bullpen this spring.
Slaten throws a 90-ish fastball, a slider, and a changeup. He's mostly been used in a situational role during his ML career, with good reason: Over his career, he's held lefties to a solid .241/.304/.361 batting line, but righties have smacked him around at a .297/.391/.473 clip, with more BB than K. If Slaten does end up making the 25-man roster (and Daniel Moskos isn't exactly an insurmountable obstacle in his path), Clint Hurdle will need to handle him carefully in order to maximize his value to the club.
It's also worth noting that Slaten missed a significant amount of 2011 with ulnar neuritis in the elbow of his throwing arm, and that after returning in September he put up an 11.25 ERA in eight games. Did his injury play a role in his late-season struggles, and if so will he be back at full strength this spring?
5 months ago
Vlad
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Am I the only one who originally read "Doug Strange" in the headline?
You gotta aim high to fail so big. - Trace Beaulieu
HA!
Nice one, Wilbur.
Nearly shot V & T out my nose.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 11, 2012 7:37 PM EST up reply actions
It looks like we've signed plenty of rejects, has-beens
and never-has-beens for spring training. Hopefully something good will come out of it.
WVU destroys Clemson in the Orange Bowl, 70-33. I was wrong. I'm glad I didn't put any money on the game.
As you know, every team does this. :)
by Charlie Wilmoth on Jan 11, 2012 6:57 PM EST up reply actions
Fine as a back up
Id rather go with the younger guy if its close though.
Should the Pirates keep Neal Huntington?
http://www.bucsdugout.com/2011/5/16/2174135/poll-should-huntington-be-retained
by Kosstic518 on Jan 11, 2012 7:43 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Ulnar neuritis...
Sounds like something you get…right before Tommy John surgery.
This is ominous:
“We’re still not equipped to just carry a one-hitter pitcher,” Huntington said. “For him to make our club he’s still going to have to be able to get right-handed hitters out.”
Slaten has proven that he can’t get RH hitters out. If this is the standard, there was no sense signing him, just like there was no sense signing Beimel if Hurdle wasn’t going to use him as a LOOGY. I’d rather they had LH relievers who can get RH hitters out, but if the only ones they can find are ones who can’t, the answer isn’t to use them in a role you know they’ll fail in, it’s to find ways to use them in roles they have a chance to succeed in.
In fact, why insist at all that the bullpen have one or two LH relievers? If you’re going to refuse to try to get the platoon advantage, just take the seven best relievers, even if they’re all RH. There’s a logical disconnect here.
Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!
That's really strange.
Why sign him if you know up-front that you don’t want a guy with his skill set?
And how, in a seven-man bullpen, is there not room for a dedicated specialist?
Maybe they're tying
to psyche Moskos.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 12, 2012 9:02 AM EST up reply actions
guysssssssssssssssssss
he’s just spring training roster filler
nothing more. nothing less.
There are lots of pieces of roster filler out there. Why not choose one with a chance of actually helping the team?
Yeah
The point isn’t that he sucks. He could be useful if he’s healthy. But why announce that the only role in which he could be useful is one you refuse to use him in?
Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!
Ironically, I’d have been OK with him on the major league team at some point when they signed him, but after seeing NH’s comment I don’t want him to make the team. I was very frustrated by John Russell’s refusal to try to get the platoon advantage with his relievers, but Hurdle is just the same (even though he DID try very hard to get the platoon advantage with his hitters), which leads me to think it’s really NH.
Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!
a good NRI idea
last year he struggled obviously but in years prior his numbers were quite good. reasonable to expect a bounceback
Moskos should just be given the spot though
I know he didn’t LOOK great or comfortable last year, but his numbers weren’t awful. I feel like they should put him in the Dan McCutchen role this year maybe and then also used against tough lefties situationally like for example Phillies Chutley followed by Ryan Howard.
BTW Moskos posted very similar FIPs ~3.25 at AAA and MLB in about 70 innings split between the two. His xFIP was higher at ML level but…honestly he gets to pitch in PNC park half the time so i don’t know if i care AS much about that
Thoughts?
My only disagreement
is that Moskos “just be given rhe spot.”
He hasn’t really proven anything, so if we can acquire someone better, then…
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 12, 2012 9:52 AM EST up reply actions
His xFIP was higher at ML level but…honestly he gets to pitch in PNC park half the time so i don’t know if i care AS much about that
xFIP is more important than FIP, and BABIP doesn’t work the same way in the minors as it does in the majors.
That said, it’s only 24 innings, so it doesn’t constitute real evidence that he can’t get the job done. But I’d like to have a solid alternative on hand, in the event that Moskos isn’t up to the challenge (as I suspect that he is not).
^^ What I was tryin' t' say.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 12, 2012 10:01 AM EST up reply actions
his xFIP was 4.68 – which still isn’t TURRIBLE.
Not you, but i think sometimes other people hate Moskos solely because we drafted him with the 4th pick overall and he was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Still a talented young pitcher IMO
I've go no hate on him...
it ain’t his fault he got drafted where he got drafted.
If he can make the Pirates a better team, I don’t give a tinker’s cuss about the back story.
That said, I just don’t think he’s all that good. Not that he’s turrble, either.
I’d love to be wrong.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Jan 12, 2012 10:04 AM EST up reply actions
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