TRADE - Utility Man Hocking On The Move

Another day, another deal in the Millennium Baseball League.  Oakland Osprey skipper Steve Kornmuller remains busy, completing his second deal within the week.  Here are the particulars:

CINCINNATI sends OF Matt Stairs and the their 2001 3rd round pick
to OAKLAND in exchange for IF/OF Denny Hocking.

Not a blockbuster by any means, but worth taking a look at nonetheless.

As discussed in the last edition of the TRADE ANALYZER, Oakland is currently in last place in the Expansion League's Pacific Division.  And while their record of 20-22 is only a couple of games below .500, they sit a full nine games out of first place.  Manager Kornmuller obviously has his eye on the future, making another deal to acquire a draft pick in next year's draft.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, is in the midst of a battle atop the Classic League's Rust Belt Division.  With a record of 24-18, manager Corey Robeson has his Red Stockings just a game-and-a-half out of first place.  And while they currently sit six games over .500 on the season, they are only 7-8 in their last 15 games.  The team they trail, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, are the hottest team in the MBL right now, winners of six in a row and 18 of their last 23 games.

 The acquisition of Hocking gives the Red Stockings a guy who can fill in at any position on the field, literally.  In the year 2000, Hocking played at least ten games at every single position on the field except pitcher and catcher.  And while he'll never be confused with Ozzie Smith or Roberto Clemente in the field, he's actually rated quite good at every position he played.  Hocking also enjoyed the finest offensive year of his 13 year major league career in the year 2000.  His triple slash line of .298/.373/.416 is quite respectable.  The BA, OBP and SLG percentage numbers are all season career highs.  A switch-hitter, he's equally adept at getting on base from both sides of the plate, compiling the same .373 OBP against both right-handed and left-handed pitching.

Hocking goes to a Cincinnati squad in need of a good utility type player.  With the brittle Nomar Garciaparra at SS, Hocking provides a quality option if/when Nomar misses any action due to injury.  He can also spell 2B Luis Alicea from time-to-time, especially against RHP.  His more likely role will be in one of the outfield spots, in place of either Brian Hunter or Steve Finley.  Regardless of where he lands on the field, he will provide good defense and a quality bat for the lineup.

His future though isn't so bright.  As noted, 2000 was his best offensive year of his career.  He plays three more season where he ranges between 83-112 games.  His triple slash of .248/.308/.339 for those years combined is a far cry from his 2000 numbers.  Theoretically, he could be the starting shortstop for the Red Stockings in 2001 when Nomar misses all but 20 games due to injury.  But it's more likely Corey will be trying to fill those games with somebody a bit better offensively than Hocking.

For the 2000 MBL year, Hocking is currently flashing a .289/.365/.423 triple slash line.
Hocking's career statistics:  http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hockide01.shtml
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Going to Oakland is 32 year old outfielder Matt Stairs.  He entered the year 2000 coming off a season in which he blasted 38 home runs and knocked in 102.  As a matter of fact, in the three previous seasons combined, Stairs had a triple slash line of .282/.373/.537 for an OPS of .910.  He averaged 30 homers per year and nearly 100 RBI.  The year 2000, his final year in Oakland, saw his numbers take a bit of a tumble.  He only managed to hit .227 and knock 21 homers in 143 games.  His .747 OPS is the worst of any season in which he was a regular contributor.

The acquisition of Stairs is one with an eye on the future.  While he never again reached the production heights from his 1997-1999 seasons, he is fairly productive over the next few years.  From 2001-2007, Stairs .267/.359/.478 triple slash equates out to a respectable .836 OPS.  He has a couple of season's in which he eclipses the .900 mark in OPS, with a high mark of .950 in 2003.

Stairs is a platoon player.  He's virtually unplayable against LHP, with batting averages below the Mendoza line in each of the next three seasons.  As a matter of fact, he rarely played against lefties in real life for the next few seasons.  But while some might see this as a mark against him, it actually can make him more valuable.  He's very good against RHP.  In 2003, he hit them at a .304/.402/.984 clip in 115 games.

Where Stairs fits in for the Osprey remains to be seen.  For the current season, he could conceivably platoon with Ron Gant in left field against RHP.  He could also spell Lee Stevens at first base from time-to-time.  Regardless, he provides a power bat off the bench.

Stairs currently has a .254/.343/.559 triple slash line in the MBL.  He's belted five homers in only 59 ABs.
Stair's career statistics:  http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stairma01.shtml
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This is another deal made by Steve where he gets a draft pick back in return.  A very good strategy, especially considering none of us really know what to expect or who will be available off of the current rosters come draft time.  With each team being able to protect 20 players, you can somewhat project that a 3rd round pick in the 2001 draft will be the equivalent of a 23rd round selection in the inaugural draft.  Looking at who was selected in those rounds, it's likely that the 3rd round selection will equate to a decent middle relief option or a quality bench player.  Steve actually drafted his starting first baseman in Lee Stevens in the 23rd round.  Other selections of note in the 22nd/23rd rounds include a one-year Mo Vaughn card, starters Brett Tomko and Jeff Fassero, backup catchers Tom Prince, Todd Pratt and Tony Eusebio, and some decent relief pitchers in Antonio Osuna, Felix Heredia and Guillermo Mota.


SUMMARY
Oakland manager Steve Kornmuller has made another deal with a draft pick involved, which is something I like.  He now owns two picks in the first round and two in the third.  While the third round selection may not produce a significant lineup producer, it will allow him to improve his depth more rapidly than the other teams in the league.  This is another instance where I like both sides of this deal though.  I love what Hocking brings to the lineup this season.  Every team can use a guy like Hocking on their roster.  He's definitely the best player in the deal for the current season as Stairs had a bit of a down year in 2000.  But where Hocking is over and done for the most part after this year, Stairs has some productive seasons left in his tank.  I especially like his 2003 season when he's a killer against RHP.  Stairs conceivably could be protected by a team for the next seven years.  Hocking is likely draft fodder, if not next season then the year after.  At best, he plays two more seasons.

So for the purposes of selecting a winner in this deal, I am looking at the staying power of Stairs compared to Hocking.  Add in the draft pick and I believe Steve has come out slightly ahead overall in this exchange.  But that's not to say I don't like what Corey has done here.  I actually love it.  He's trying to improve his team this season, and the acquisition of Hocking does just that.  And he gave up a guy in Stairs who had only started in 15 of his team's 42 games.  So while down the road Oakland comes out on top, this is a definite winning move by Corey and the Red Stockings in MBL 2000.

I understand that people make trades for different reasons, and that no trade will be completely equal in value exchanged.  The opinions expressed on this site are my opinions only.  Please do not take offense to anything written.  I promise I will analyze the deals as fair as possible.  It is not my intention to offend anyone involved.  This is for purely entertainment purposes only.

TRADE - Cleveland and Oakland Swap Second Basemen

With a deal going down today involving the Cleveland Rock 'N Rollers and the Oakland Osprey, let's break out the inaugural edition of the TRADE ANALYZER.  In this spot, I will try to analyze, as fairly as possible, any trades that take place in the MBL.  With that being said, let me offer up this disclaimer.

I understand that people make trades for different reasons, and that no trade will be completely equal in value exchanged.  The opinions expressed here forth are my opinions only.  Please to not take offense to anything written.  I promise I will analyze the deals as fair as possible.  It is not my intention to offend anyone involved.  This is for purely entertainment purposes only.

So having said that, let's start dissecting the deal at hand.


CLEVELAND sends IF/OF Mark McLemore and the their 2001 1st round pick to OAKLAND in exchange for 2B Edgardo Alfonzo.

This is an interesting deal between two teams who currently both sit in the basement of their respective divisions.  Cleveland manager Brian Feig is obviously looking to improve this season with the acquisition of Alfonzo while trading away his 1st round pick next season.  And although the Rock 'N Rollers are currently in last place, their record of 18-23 puts them only five games back in the Classic League's Rust Belt Division.  With a home record of only 8-10, a +29 run differential, and a record of 4-8 in one-run games and 0-3 in extra innings, it's not hard to imagine this team improving in the standings even without this deal being made.  Alfonzo should only improve their lineup for the current season.

Oakland, on the other hand, actually has a better record than Cleveland at this point in the year, sitting at only one game under .500 with a 19-20 mark.  But Oakland manager Steve Kornmuller finds himself in a different spot than Cleveland manager Feig.  His Osprey are currently nine games out of the Expansion League's Pacific Division lead, trailing the 29-13 San Francisco Quakers for the top spot.  Not to say that it's time to panic, with the season not yet a quarter of the way completed and a wildcard birth easily within reach, but building for the future by acquiring a 1st round pick is never a bad idea.  And it's not like McLemore is chopped liver.  He has some value as well as we will see.


Of course, the prize of this deal for the current season is obviously Alfonzo.  An All-Star for the only time in his 12 year career in the year 2000, Alfonzo was coming off a 1999 campaign which saw him finish 8th in the NL MVP voting.  But 2000 was unquestionably the best year of his career, a season which saw him hit .324 with 40 doubles and 25 home runs.  His on-base percentage was a robust .425, and his .967 OBP was nearly 100 percentage points higher than any other time in his career.

Alfonzo drops off quite precipitously in 2001, only hitting .243 with a meager .322 OBP.  He's almost unplayable against LHP, hitting only .211 with a .277 OBP against southpaws that year.  He switches positions in 2002 to third base and bounces back with a solid season slash line of .308/.391/.459, earning a Clutch rating to boot.  That equates to a very solid .851 OPS.  He also figured out the lefties in 2002 as he checked in with .364/.477/.545 slash against them.  He was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 2003 and finished his career there with three solid yet unspectacular seasons.

For the 2000 MBL year, Alfonzo has a triple slash of .321/.405/.537 with eight homers.
Alfonzo's career statistics:  http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alfoned01.shtml

Mark McLemore was 35 years old and entering his 15th season in the majors in the year 2000.  But that's not to say he was done.  As a matter of fact, his two best offensive years were yet to come.  So for the purposes of our deal here, he has plenty left to offer.

In 2000, he is more than serviceable.  His slash of .245/.353/.316 is nothing to write home about, but he's actually very good against LHP, getting on-base at a .393 clip.  He's excellent in the field at second base and in left field.  And to boot, he's also an excellent bunter and baserunner.  He actually stole 30 bases in the year 2000.  So even though he is nowhere near as good as Alfonzo for the current season, he can easily provide decent production as a replacement at second base.

Where McLemore really shines is in the next two seasons, years 2001 and 2002.  Those two years were arguably the two best of his long, 19-year career.  His OBP surpassed .380 in both, and he stole 39 bases in 2001.  He's also super versatile, playing the utility role as good as anyone, getting ratings at seven different positions.  Great baserunner as well.  He played a limited role in both 2003 and 2004 before retiring.

The odd thing when it comes to McLemore is his splits between left and right handed pitching.  In 2000, he excels against LHP, but he's virtually unplayable against them in both 2001 and 2002, hitting only .169 and .152 in those two seasons respectively.  Of course, that means that he is a terror against RHP in both of those years.  If Steve can find somebody to play against the southpaws, McLemore can provide a platoon player in the lineup on a regular basis.  If not, he's great off the bench as a fill in against RHP.

McLemore is currently sitting on a .208/.317/.272 triple slash line with three stolen bases.
McLemore's career statistics:  http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mclemma01.shtml

This deal in the end will likely depend on how the Cleveland 1st round selection pans out.  There are some good players that will be available in the 2001 draft, including names like Albert Pujols, Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Roy Oswalt, Adam Dunn, Josh Beckett, Brian Roberts and Ben Sheets just to name a few.  That's eight names right there.  There are currently four teams in the MBL with a worse record than Cleveland, with four other teams tied with them with the identical 19-23 record.  If the Rock 'N Rollers fail to improve and finish in the bottom half of the standings, then Oakland is going to get a very good player in this deal.

SUMMARY
In the end, this is a deal that helps out both teams.  I love the fact that Brian is making a push to improve his team for the current season.  Alfonzo is a dynamic bat in 2000 at a position that few big bats exist.  It's hard to pick a winner or loser in this deal until we find out how the 2001 draft plays out.  If Cleveland isn't able to improve in the standings and one of the above mentioned players is available for Steve to draft, then I think the Osprey come out ahead in the end.  My thinking though is that the Rock 'N Rollers will use Alfonzo to make a move in their division, one that is easily winnable for them.  If that happens, their pick will be in the bottom half of the round, meaning most of the prime selections will most certainly be gone.  Of course, by trading Alonzo, Oakland may dip in the standings, landing them in one of the prime spots for the aforementioned players.

This is about as even as a trade can be in my estimation.  In the end, I'm gonna use the theory that whoever gets the best player in the deal is the winner.  With that thinking in mind, I'm giving the slight edge to Brian and the Rock 'N Rollers for the sole reason that Alfonzo's card is so good in 2000.  If Steve's gamble pays off and Cleveland does not improve, then Oakland is in prime position for two top picks in the 2001 draft.  If that happens, then the Osprey clearly come out on top.