I just saw So Taguchi was released, so the Cards indeed will be players in tomorrow’s draft. Here myself or AZ will have as much info as we can on the player the Cardinals take tomorrow, if they take anyone.
[update 7:25AM] 28 year old LHP Ron Flores was signed to a minor league contract. In his short MLB career, Ron has held lefties to a .215/.282/.292 line. Also, it is expected that the Padres will move up to take Brian Barton as the #1 pick of the Rule 5 draft. Maybe with the release of Taguchi, the Cardinals could possibly move up to get Lubanski? Hmmm.
[update 9:55 AM -- azruavatar] I’m not going to pretend like I’ve been following this as closely as erik but I do know that we nabbed one of the top talents in Brian Barton. The walk rates are nice, the defense is nice and I can’t imagine it would be that hard to keep him as a back up CF on the bench this season over Schumaker since Barton is a RH hitter.
More on discussion after the jump.
[update 10:01 AM--erik] I say thee “Yes!” Barton is THE top talent of this draft. After a very tough week for Mozeliak, this is a move in the right direction. There’s a decent chance he could be more then just a 5th outfielder, there’s a chance he could be our lead off hitter and starting somewhere in the OF. Here’s a scouting report:
Ever the enigma, Barton went undrafted in 2004 after clubs were scared off by his aerospace engineering major at Miami. The Indians signed him for $100,000 and an additional $100,000 in college funds after a brief showing in the Cape Cod League and Barton has not looked back. A five-tool player who can play all three outfield spots, Barton has been hampered by a lingering knee injury since his breakout year in 2006 when he hit .322 with 19 homers and swiped 41 bags in 49 attempts. Even with the knee problem, Barton still turned in a .305/.402/.420 season in 2007, finishing the year in Triple-A.
Barton was the # 5 Cleveland prospect going into the season but was slowed by that knee problem. Here is an interview with him earlier this year.
Here’s a little more: Deric McKamey had graded his power, ability to hit for average and speed as four +’s out of 5 available. Fielding was 3 out of 5. Here’s his scouting report”
Excellent scouting find after going undrafted. Hit w/ authority at every level. Can beat you w/ power and speed. Power has progressed nicely. Can hit for BA despite high number of K’s. Arm strength and range will play at any OF spot.
I am very happy with this move. I’ll add his info to the prospect spreadsheet on the right sidebar.
[update 10:35 AM -- azruavatar] The question of what this might mean for Colby Rasmus is an interesting one although the answer is quite boring.
In short, it means nothing.
Rasmus is world’s above Barton in terms of power potential and he doesn’t have any particular flaws in his game that are going to prevent him from being an everyday player. For this next season, Rasmus will most likely get some time in AAA, which is probably for the best as he continues to refine his game both at the plate and in the field. Rasmus remains the heir apparent to Edmonds and as long as TLR can resist sitting him against lefties then he’ll be in CF everyday in 2009.
Barton does represent a significant and important upgrade over Schumaker who is probably gone at this point. The team needs a defensive replacement for Duncan and someone who can spot Edmonds in CF. Given the construction of the outfield, a right-handed hitter is ideal. Barton is a better player in the long-term and possibly the short-term as Schumaker. With Barton under control for 6 years (assuming we hold on tho him), he serves as a nice backup with some speed, plate discipline and pop. If he happens to mature into an everyday player, all the better, but that’s probably not the most likely outcome.
[update 2:15--erik] I respectfully disagree with AZ about the part of him probably not maturing to an every day player. I would give him better odds then that. This is a player who scouts have raved about his tools, and he was slowed by knee injuries this year and yet still put up good numbers in AA. John Sickels went as far as to call him the #3 prospect in the Cleveland system going into 2007 and gave him a B+ grade. He said, “only negative is age, but I love his tools, skills, statistics, intelligence, and work ethic”. Only one Cardinal received a B+ grade from him last year-Rasmus. (This year he has to be at least an A-). Kevin Goldstein said Barton narrowly missed his Top 11 Cleveland prospects when he recently reviewed the Tribe, and he was his # 5 going into last year. Here’s Goldstein’s report on Barton:
The Good: Undrafted out of college, Barton has proven to be quite a find, meeting every challenge presented him. Excellent athlete has plus raw power and speed, and is an above-average centerfielder.
The Bad: Barton’s Double-A showing was a strange one, as his power, walk and strikeout rates all dropped dramatically as he hit .351 in 151 at-bats. He’s always been old for his level and many scouts see him as a mistake hitter and minor league performer as opposed to a player with long-term major league value.
The Irrelevant: In a world where nearly every “student athlete” majors in something like communications or sports management, Barton actually took the ’student’ part seriously, majoring in aerospace engineering and serving an internship with Boeing.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: A multi-faceted starting outfielder.
Gap Between What He Is Now, And What He Can Be: Average – despite only having two months of experience above A-ball, Barton turns 25 in April and the Indians can’t afford to take it slowly with him. He’ll likely start the year in Triple-A and should make his big league debut at some point during the season.
Maybe he is a role player. To me, his tools alone portend to an upside that is better then that. He’s basically almost the type of player we hope Daryl Jones matures into. I can envision him being the team’s lead off hitter, providing OBP, pop, defense and speed. It’s the speed that’s been a missing element for the Cards right now. I would consider putting him in my Cardinal top 10 right now if I could do it over again, with hopes he has a strong showing in spring training.
Here’s a video of his swing, if you want to take a peep.
Filed under: Brian Barton, Ron Flores, Rule 5 Draft, Transactions
erik
azruavatar
fewgoodcards
roarke49
theredbaaron
It was obvious that Taguchis time as a Cardinal had passed so no big surprise there. If someone like Lubanski or the like fall to them, take them. If theres nothing on the board then thats ok too.
The thing about the rule 5 draft is that it should be utilized by teams in a rebuilding mode. That is the way the freaking rules are set up. If the Cardinals are saying that they are in a rebuilding year, then we should participate. This may imply that Rolen may be moved as well since he is more valuable as a trade chip for young talent to a rebuilding team than a veteran pressence to a team in contention.
Personally I think that they don’t take anyone. The move that MO has made so far have been calculated to shore up the defense and hope that Rolen and Edmonds are healthy. If those guys are healthy and put up numbers anywhere near career norms we have a shot at winning the Central.
The thing about the Rule 5 is that you have to keep the guy on your 25 man roster the entire year, not sure how the DL works into that though. So if we take someone then they take a 25 man roster spot as well, like say if Barten (sp?) fell to us then we would have to use him in place of Duncan, Ludwick, Ankiel, Schumaker, etc. on the roster which would probably mean a trade would have to happen with one of them. So for sure I see us targeting major league ready pitching but I won’t expect us to take anyone.
i was in pitt last summer for a cards game and was chatting w/randy flores. some of the pirates fans were having some fun w/him, so i pretended that they had said that he was only the 2nd best flores in the big leagues.
he started laughing and said, well they’re right, ron is way better than me…lol.
Isn’t Lubanski a lefty? With Ankiel, Duncan, Edmonds, and Schumaker on the 25 man roster, and Rasmus waiting at the door, do we really need another lefty OF? I’m all for maximizing the cheap talent available, but unless we trade one of the four lefty OF on the big league roster, keeping Lubanki up all year would be pretty redundant. My guess is they grab a hard throwing reliever and keep him on the roster as a long relief/mopup guy and hope that he develops into more.
I belive hat anyone taken in the rule five can be placed on the DL and stay with the team. He has to be active for at least 90 days. If hes only active for 89 days during the season then he automatically goes back.
we got the top player in the rule 5 draft Brian Barton
300 plus hitter
good glove center field
25 yrs old
I know nothing’s set in stone, but I think the Barton drafting makes it quite likely we don’t see Rasmus until September.
If all goes well with him, and our season progresses as I expect…I agree, won’t be hard to keep him on the 25-man.
Also, it could affect when we call up Rasmus. Longer time under team control is never a bad thing, I guess.
Poorcollegeguy is close. I think if he’s on the active roster less than 90 days he has to be on the roster the follow year until he has 90 active days. At that point he can be sent down.
Barton should obviously replace Tag’s place but may spell at bats from Skip also or ultimately a roster spot. The good obp and speed would be nice top of the order. Looks like a good rule V pick for the Cards
Maybe I’m too excited about this, but getting Barton is awesome.
It’s not saying much, but it’s the best move the Cards have made since the end of the season.
Call me optimistic, but I’m with erik: good chance he could be a regular outfielder….of impact, no less.
Two thumbs up to Mo on this one for upgrading to a younger, cheaper, better player. Happy trails to Gooch, he always gave 100% and is by all indications a great guy but it was time to move on. His regular translation from his Akron numbers is .249/.336/.373, and if he is able to keep Izturis out of the leadoff spot (oh the horror) from time to time then you are killing 2 birds with one stone. Tony will break camp with 3 lefties and 2 righties in the outfield and can platoon till his heart’s content.
I like the pick. His stats are good, but what’s with the freakishly high BABIPs? His wOBA is still well above-average, but I’d expect the numbers to come down some.
http://firstinning.com/players/Brian-Barton-a/
Yes, I agree with everyone else’s positive outlook on this pickup. I think the fit is much better than Lubanski would have been.
Two points:
1) Paying Barton $500K for 3 years is much better than paying a So type $1.5 million to do the same job. May not seem like much money but do this at 3 or 4 bench spots and all of a sudden you have $4-5 million a year to upgrade an everyday player/pitcher.
2) Much better to let Rasmus get a 1/2 season or so at AAA to start the season and bring him up at the break, then you get 3.5 seasons at min salary instead of 3 and you let him have his 1/2 season major league breakin period at the end of this year, where it’s not likely to hurt the team if he struggles to adjust a bit.
This is awesome. If his knee is healthy this year he could end up leading off in games that he plays. I am very excited about this.
This is a good move.
That said, the person/ people for whom this move means the most:
1. Skip- If Barton out plays him, there goes Skip’s bench spot.
2. Ludwick- If Barton out plays Ludwick, he will get more AB’s than Ryan as the 4th outfielder.
3. Ankiel/ Duncan- If Barton becomes a regular, the Cards suddenly have the outfield depth to seriously consider trading away one of the two strike out prone lefties. Given the importance of D, I could see Duncan get moved. That said, a lot rides on Ankiel this season. If he produces similar to Duncan, then he stays. If not, Ankiel becomes the odd man out in the outfield come 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW4UwKAxYrc&feature=related
this is a video with barton batting
I absolutely LOVE picking up Barton! This guy is a player with all of the tools. He is the perfect kind of pickup being a RH outfield that can play all 3 spots. First off all So’s defense has always been overrated as he is a below average CF and has pretty weak arm. I don’t think Barton is a good defensive CF but is a very solid corner guy. Barton’s pickup gives the Cards added versatility. He is a guy that can hit leadoff, but I really like him in the 2 spot with his combo of speed and power. I think this could signal a trade involving Duncan or Ankiel for Scott Rolen’s replacement or a SP. From reports I’ve been hearing the Cards were hesitant to trade the likes of Duncan or Ankiel and Rolen because it would leave their lineup void of any power outside of Pujols. I’m not say Barton is an all star, but I’m probably higher on him than most. I believe he is an average starting corner OF.
In my mind the following should happen: Rolen (Cards paying most of salary to get better player return), Skip, Reyes to Dodgers for LaRoche and Kemp or Ethier. Then Duncan to the Orioles for Cabrera. Those trades would give the Cards a 3B MLB ready prospect and a very good OF MLB ready prospect and a young power starting pitcher that Duncan could straighten out.
Interesting note*
Barton played alongside chris perez and jon jay in miami in 2004.
Interesting… i dont know if this is the whole draft (i have very limited knowledge of the rule v draft) but Lubanski wasn’t even taken.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3144243
Just our of curiosity (my friends call me whiskers) is there any record of what the general e-reaction was when the Cards picked up Hector Luna in the Rule V draft before the ‘04 season?
(I like the Barton pick by the way. A buddy of mine tutored him at LMU — Barton had an internship at Northrup before he ever stepped foot on campus — and says he is ridiculously, insanely smart. Maybe he can figure out an algorithm to make Tony and Scott shut the eff up.)
Various people have noted on other blog sites, incorrectly, that Barton, like Ludwick, hits RHP better than LHP. The fact is, Barton’s OBP vs. LHP in 2005 and 2006 was higher than vs. RHP:
2005
vs. LHP .965
vs. RHP .941
2006
vs. LHP 1.010
vs. RHP .889
People seem to be drawing the conclusion that Barton does not hit LHP well from his performance at Akron this year, where his OPS vs. LHP was only .631 while his OPS vs. RHP was. .998. But he had only 32 AB vs. LHP at Akron, a very small sample size.
Now that Barton has cleaned up his bothersome knee and it will reportedly be completely healthy and strong by the beginning of spring training, he could perform better than ever.
Drafting Barton is an outstanding move! Bravo, Mo!
Alex, I am optimistic that Barton, with his degree in aeronautical engineering, will be able to fix things between Rolen and LaRussa. We’ve all known for some time now that solving that problem WOULD take a “rocket scientist”.
Erik and azruavatar, Why do you think the Cardinals chose not to draft any players onto the AAA team, particularly pitchers? Given how thin the AAA team was last year, it would seem Mo and Luhnow missed a chance to upgrade the farm system at least a little. 18 pitchers were drafted after the 10th pick. Wouldn’t any of these been useful to the Cardinals?
Triple-A Phase Draftees, 2007:
10. Levi Romero, RHP, by Oklahoma (TEX) from Houston (Oklahoma).
11. Jose Fragoso, RHP, by Sacramento (OAK) from Detroit (Oneonta).
12. Victor Garate, LHP, by Las Vegas (LAD) from Houston (Tri-City).
13. Joe Bateman, RHP, by Nashville (MIL) from San Francisco (Connecticut).
15. Juan Cedeno, LHP, by Toledo (DET) from Washington (Wichita).
16. Garry Bakker, RHP, by New Orleans (NYM) from Chicago, AL (Winston-Salem).
17. Gabe DeHoyos, RHP, by Portland (SD) from Kansas City (Wichita).
19. Bo Hall, RHP, by Scranton/WB (NYY) from Milwaukee (Huntsville).
20. Julio Puentes, RHP, by Durham (TB) from Houston (VSL Astros).
21. Mauricio Mendez, RHP, by Indianapolis (PIT) from Boston (GCL Red Sox).
25. Jose Rojas, RHP, by Sacramento (OAK) from Cincinnati (Sarasota).
26. Richard Campbell, RHP, by Nashville (MIL) from Washington (Harrisburg).
28. Benjamin Fritz, RHP, by Toledo (DET) from Oakland (Midland).
29. Kurt Isenberg, LHP, by Portland (SD) from Toronto (New Hampshire).
31. Jose Mejias, RHP, by Durham (TB) from New York, NL (VSL Mets).
32. Corey Hamman, LHP, by Indianapolis (PIT) from Detroit (Toledo).
33. Clayton Hamilton, RHP, by Oklahoma (TEX) from Pittsburgh (Lynchburg).
34. Scott Mitchinson, RHP, by Sacramento (OAK) from Philadelphia
Hopefully, this is just one of many potentially shrewd moves to come.
David in SF, few rule 5ers taken in the minor league portion go on to find big league success. I’d have to look at it more, but only Scott Podsednik comes to mind, if you want to characterize his career as a success