Ta ta Oscar

[pfiggy]

Braves trade Villarreal to Astros | ajc.com

[BravesRule22]

Pen was crowded, someone had to go

Just wish Oscar got a chance to start at the end of last year

Roto's take :

Braves acquired outfielder Josh Anderson from the Astros for RHP Oscar Villarreal.

Anderson had a surprisingly strong September after being called up, hitting .358/.413/.403 in 67 at-bats, but that came after a .273/.325/.340 season in Triple-A. Nothing else the 25-year-old has done lately suggests that he'd be adequate as a major league regular. As a left-handed hitter with great speed on the basepaths and in center field, he could have value as a bench player. However, the Braves didn't just fill the hole opened up by Andruw Jones' departure. All they really acquired was another Willie Harris.

[GenericBravesFan]

At least we still have Lance Cormier

[Metaphysicist]

Pointless. And I really don't like Wren's intimation that Anderson might be "the guy" in CF.

[jpx7]

Yea, he is a warm body, who happens to be a little warmer and cheaper than Willie Harris.

If nothing else, this hopefully ensures Harris sees himself non-tendered; it may also mean the organization is leaning towards Brent Lillibridge, and wants to ensure it has a cheap defensive fallback in light of Lillibridge's recent inexperience in the outfield.

I do think the Braves could have held on to Villarreal and picked up a little more in return, once the free-agent relief dust clears: he might be starting at $1.5-2 million in arbitration, but a lot of teams might willingly pay that price for a 3.50-4.50 ERA, seventh-inning type. And those teams would probably forfeit more than Josh Anderson.

[renny]

..he'll compete for the CF spot...and only becomes the guy should they not acquire a stopgap CF.


Waiting for Glavine; is this the new CF? | Braves | ajc.com



Just talked to Frank right after the release came out, and he made it clear to me that this kid will compete for the center-field job, but isn’t necessarily “the” replacement. Braves wanted to get him now in case they can’t acquire another, more experienced guy this winter.


Again, this guy will compete for the job, and I’d guess he would be the favorite unless the Braves get another center fielder this winter.

From the Braves’ press release on the dude: Anderson, 25, hit .358 (24-for-67) in 25 games for the Astros this year. He spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Round Rock, where he played all three outfield positions and batted .273 (140-for-513) with 17 doubles and 64 runs scored. He ranked third in the Pacific Coast League with 41 stolen bases.


The left-handed hitter was the MVP of the 2006 Texas League All-Star game and in that same year he led the league for the second consecutive season in stolen bases and ranked first with 173 hits. In 2004 Anderson led all of minor league baseball with 78 stolen bases and in 2005 he was rated as the best defensive outfielder and the fastest base runner by Baseball America.

So there. Dude can fly. And hit for average, though not for a lick of power. And unlike, say, Gregor Blanco, this guy’s done it, albeit briefly, at the major league level.

[jpx7]

"And unlike, say, Gregor Blanco, this guy’s done it, albeit briefly, at the major league level."

So briefly that he might as well be likened to Gregor Blanco; from my perspective, anything that occurs in 67 at-bats is virtually negligible in player evaluation. And unlike, say, Gregor Blanco, this guy has almost no plate discipline.

[BravesRule22]

God Wren cant really think this guy is going to be our CF, can he ?

[Yogi44]

Has anyone noticed that Wren seems to be constantly giving quotes to the press? You had to hog tie and whip JS to get a quote. Not sure that I like it. NO sense in letting others know what you are thinking, unless it's to send them in the wrong direction. Best to just keep quiet until you step to the podium.

[Snowman]

God, what a horrible deal. Anderson is truly awful, and the pen isn't really crowded... it's a bit thin, IMO.

Snowman's Anderson prediction for '08: .265/.315/.330.

That's right, a big ole .645 OPS.

[jpx7]

I say .255/.295/.340 in (hopefully) limited at-bats.

[Metaphysicist]

I wouldn't say it's "awful." I prefer they at least get a spare part for the Vulture rather than just DFA him like Giles.

[Snowman]

I'd rather have him in the pen, considering he is as of this moment about the fourth or fifth best guy we have and we need seven relievers.

[renny]

I look at it more as a preference for Boyer in the pen over Villareal - and they needed to find a spot for him. I think Bennett becomes the new long relief guy now (or Carlyle if he remains with the team).

This is not a justification of Anderson, just a guess at the reason behind the move.

[Snowman]

Even if that's it, it really doesn't explain the move. Soriano and Moylan are the only two guys who are definitely better than Villareal. Let's assume Acosta, Devine, and Ring should all make the pen, and at least one of them will turn out to be better than him. Then add Boyer. That's six, which still leaves a spot for Villareal. We cannot count on Gonzalez returning for that spot.

IOW, this means that either Bennett, Carlyle, Yates, Ascanio, or Reyes will make the pen. I'd rather have Oscar in the pen in '08 than any of those 5, and it's not even close.