Sunday Notes: Espinoza, Anderson, Clippard, Segura, Groome, more

Prior to changing organizations, Anderson Espinoza would sometimes be compared to a young Pedro Martinez. From a projectability standpoint, it wasn’t far-fetched. Signed by the Red Sox out of Venezuela two years ago, Espinoza was lanky with long fingers, and he possessed advanced feel for his off-speed pitches. Last year in the Gulf Coast League his fastball flirted with triple digits.

Espinoza is 18 years old now, and in the Padres system. Acquired by San Diego from Boston at the trade deadline in exchange for Drew Pomeranz, the high-ceiling right-hander is currently pitching for the Fort Wayne TinCaps in the low-A Midwest League. The raw stuff remains, but his physical resemblance to Pedro is fading.

Espinoza has gained 22 pounds since last season — “a lot of working out and a lot of eating” — and he now weighs a solid 202 pounds. “A strong guy who can get even stronger,” he aspires to better maintain his velocity deep into games.

Espinoza recognizes the value of velocity, but it’s no longer a main focus.

“Last year, I thought I had to throw hard to get people out,” Espinoza told me. “I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter if you throw 100 or 90. All you have to do is locate and mix in your changeup and your curveball. You don’t need 100 MPH to get to the big leagues.”

Austin Allen, Fort Wayne’s catcher, described Espinoza’s four-seam fastball as having “late life.” (Espinoza doesn’t throw a two-seamer.) His spin rate isn’t notable, but according to an evaluator the pitch has “sideways-run quality.”

The righty tries to induce spin.

“Whenever I throw the fastball, I kind of do a weird move with my wrist to make my ball go higher,” claimed Espinoza. “I try to spin the ball more off my fingers. I do that when I want to put it high, up on the letters. I like to elevate with my fastball, especially on 0-2 and 1-2.”

He also likes to pitch inside. Espinoza has received advice from Pedro Martinez, and not surprisingly, it includes the importance of intimidation.

“Pedro told me the ways I have to pitch,” said Espinoza. “He told me how to control myself, and to not be afraid to go inside. It’s OK to knock some guys down. After you hit them, they will be afraid of you next at bat.”

There’s more than a fastball to fear when Espinoza takes the mound. Both of his secondary pitches flash plus, and opinions differ on which one is better. TinCaps pitching coach Burt Hooton opined it’s his curveball. Espinoza said it’s his changeup.

The Caracas, Venezuela native learned his changeup when he was “a little kid,” and he’s embraced the pitch ever since.

“My dad taught me a circle when I decided to be a pitcher,” explained Espinoza. “I kept working on it, because even before I signed, people were telling me the changeup is the best pitch in baseball after your fastball. If you get a good one, you can survive for a long time.”

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Tyler Clippard broke into the big leagues in 2007. Since that time, 250 pitchers have thrown at least 500 innings. None of them have a lower BABiP than the .237 on Clippard’s career log.

The 31-year-old reliever is aware of his ranking. It was first brought to his attention a few years ago, and the news didn’t come as a surprise. From his early days with the Nationals — he’s currently with the Yankees — Clippard has “constantly tried to figure out ways to get the weakest contact.” Pitch selection is part of it, as are his conscious efforts to “create more plane, more deception.”

The 2016 season has been atypical for the righty. In 49 games with Arizona and New York, Clippard has a .302 BABiP. He suspects a less-effective-than-normal changeup is part of the reason, although he’s still “been trying to put (his) finger on it all season long.” Whatever it might be, Clippard is seeing more balls fall against him than ever before.

(Note: A full interview with Clippard will run here in the coming week.)

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According to an article by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, commissioner Rob Manfred is considering “curtailing the number of shifts,” in part because they are “killing batting averages for everyone not named Jose Altuve.”

Message to Manfred: Shifts aren’t the problem. Here are two numbers to ponder:

BABIP across the two leagues is .300, which is the highest it’s been since 2008.

Batting average across the two leagues is .256, the highest it’s been since since 2011.

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Tim Anderson’s defensive game received mixed reviews as he was coming up through the White Sox system. His athleticism has never been in question, but the 2013 first-round pick was erratic, committing 88 errors in 307 minor league games. Upon his call-up in early June, Eric Longengaen referred to the 23-year-old shortstop as “technically unpolished.”

Fifty-nine games into his big-league career, Anderson grades out as an above-average defender. He recently told me he’s happy with his glove work, and that preparation has played an important role in his performance.

“In the minors, we didn’t have nearly this much information,” explained Anderson. “Here, we have all of this data to put yourself in a good position. We have starting points to go off of, and from there I can kind of do my own thing based on what I see. Todd Frazier talks to me a lot, and sometimes he’ll move me over as well. I have all of these resources available to me, and I’m trying to use all of them to my advantage.”

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Not included in my recent Sunday Notes conversation with Miami second baseman Dee Gordon was his explanation of how the team positions its infielders. According to Gordon, “The coaches don’t shift us very much. We play on our marks a lot, and from there we go to wherever, based on our reads.”

The Marlins have shifted 508 times this season, the second fewest among National League teams. When they do shift, their pitchers have a .337 BA-against, the highest of any team.

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Not much has gone right for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season. At 50-72, they have one of the worst records in baseball. Poor personnel decisions are a big reason why. The Shelby Miller deal alone is enough to jeopardize the futures of front office decision-makers Tony LaRussa and Dave Stewart.

Ironically, one of the duo’s better moves was widely panned when it was made. In late January, the D-Backs acquired Jean Segura as part of a five-player deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. A singles-hitting shortstop who seldom walked, Segura had accumulated all of 0.2 WAR over the past two seasons. His 2013 rookie campaign wasn’t bad, but in the opinion of many, Segura was… not very good.

Surprise. With six weeks left in the regular season, Segura is slashing .321/.368/.477, with 48 extra-base hits. According to the 26-year-old Dominican, there is no big secret behind his breakthrough.

“All that’s different is experience and the opportunity they’re giving me here,” said Segura, who has 27 stolen bases on the season. “They’re putting me on top of the lineup — they believe in what I have — and that makes my mentality better.”

His pitch selection is also better. No one is going to mistake him for Joey Votto, but Segura has seen his walk rate climb from 2.2% — the lowest mark in either league last year — to a more-respectable 5.2%. The improvement isn’t necessarily by design.

“My discipline in the batter’s box is better, but I haven’t really tried (to have a higher walk rate),” said Segura. “I don’t go up there trying to walk. I just battle, and sometimes that means I end up walking.”

He also leaves the yard from time to time, although that’s another area of his game that isn’t easily explained. He still focuses on using the entire field — his spray chart reflects that — and the only mechanical change he’s made has been minor.

“I dropped my hands, but just a little bit,” said Segura “I did that this season on a suggestion from (former big-league outfielder) Luis Mercedes. I think it helps my swing. But mostly, I think I’m just smarter.”

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Didi Gregorius has 114 plate appearances against same-sided pitchers this year. His numbers are… let’s just they’re gorgeous. Against lefties, the New York Yankees shortstop is hitting .333/.375/.486. Last year that slash line was .247/.311/.315.

His power numbers are also different. Gregorius has 16 home runs and counting, which is one more than he had in 2014 and 2015 combined. In his age-26 season, his slugging percentage has gone up nearly .100 points.

If he knows the reasons behind the statistical upturns, he’s not letting on. Gregorius told me he’s simply concentrating on getting his foot down on time, and that there hasn’t been a change to his approach. He’s keeping his shoulder in and staying on the ball against southpaws, but that’s the same thing he’s trying to do against righties.

Gregorius is slashing .267/.291/.456 against right-handed pitchers with 13 home runs in 321 plate appearances.

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Jason Groome is scheduled to make his professional debut tomorrow. One day before celebrating his 18th birthday, the left-hander will take the mound for Boston’s Gulf Coast League affiliate. The 12th-overall pick in this year’s draft inked a $3.65 million deal with the Red Sox at the July 15 deadline.

Groome has a big arm, and good role models to boot. His favorite pitchers to watch are Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw and David Price. The last is his favorite. He most closely resembles the Giants’ horse.

“They all have great mound presence,” Groome told me on Friday. “It’s almost like hitters fear them when they come to the plate. Bumgarner is a big, 6-5 lefty and you know he’s not going down without a fight.”

At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Groome is Bumgarner’s equal in both height and weight. He prides himself in his competitiveness, so it’s only natural that’s he’s been chomping on the bit to get his career started.

“I asked the trainers about it quite a bit,” admitted Groome. “They just said to trust the process and it will come. I listened to them and it’s finally here. It’s just awesome that I’ll get the ball on Monday.”

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Mike Ferrin went on an impromptu rant during last weekend’s Saberseminar in Boston. It wasn’t recorded (at least to my knowledge), but that doesn’t mean his words were lost. Later the same day, I caught up with the MLB Network Radio stalwart — and Diamondbacks radio broadcaster — to get a reiterated version of his diatribe.

Ferrin: “I’m a sports talk radio host, and I hate sports talk radio. It’s not that I hate the idea of talking about sports — I love the idea — it’s just that a lot of the discussion is pretty base. The demographic is men 18-to-49, or 25-to-54 — whatever it is — and what market research has shown that works there is all they focus on. What happens outside of that demographic — women, for example — is lost.

“A challenge for radio programmers is that there is a desire for instant results — that’s how it works in a corporate culture — as opposed to letting something blossom and grow. There is an audience of fans outside of what has been catered to in sports talk radio. There is certainly an audience for intelligent conversation, and not just this group of people who are riled up by hot takes. And if you are going to be opinionated, have facts to back it up. To me, it’s about credibility.

“I think it’s the same in television. You hear people say, ‘Listen, they don’t want us to do advanced stats; our audience doesn’t want that.’ Well, who is your audience? Look at the crowd here at Saberseminar. A large number of these people are under 30, and they grew up with statistics. How are you looking ahead to the future to engage your audience?”

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

The SABR Defensive Index has been updated to include data through August 7.

Garrett Anderson was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame last night, and Mark Whicker wrote about it for the Orange County Register.

According to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press, Twins rookie Jose Berrios is getting the village treatment.

Some beat writers specialize in paint-by-numbers game stories. Levi Weaver of WFAA Sports (Dallas) isn’t one of them. To him, Baseball is a Feral Child.

You know you’re good when you write about baseball for a living and you’re the one getting interviewed. Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times is good.

Earlier this month, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser laid bare the inhospitable conditions the California League’s High Desert franchise has been dealing with. Expect to hear more about the situation in the near future.

RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

In 1978, Ron Guidry went 25-3 and allowed three-or-fewer earned runs in 31 of 35 starts. Since last August 14, JA Happ has gone 24-4 and has allowed three-or-fewer earned runs in 29 of 34 starts.

On Thursday, Madison Bumgarner became the second player in history to hit a go-ahead home run and allow a grand slam in the same inning. Hal Jeffcoat did so with the Cincinnati Reds in 1957. (Per Elias)

Rick Monday went 30 for 86 with 11 home runs against Tom Seaver.

Roberto Clemente had 10,2011 plate appearances and walked 621 times. Barry Bonds had 12,606 plate appearances and was intentionally walked 688 times.

On this date in 1990, the Phillies scored two runs in the eighth and nine more in the ninth to beat the Dodgers 12-11.

Kyle Gaedele, who spent 2011-2015 in the San Diego Padres system, is the grandnephew of Eddie Gaedel, who famously pinch hit for the St. Louis Browns on August 19, 1951. Eddie Gaedel was 3-foot-7. Kyle Goedele — currently playing for the River City Rascals in the independent Frontier League — is listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds.





David Laurila grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, Mass. He authored the Prospectus Q&A series at Baseball Prospectus from December 2006-May 2011 before being claimed off waivers by FanGraphs. He can be followed on Twitter @DavidLaurilaQA.

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drewsylvaniamember
7 years ago

“In 49 games with Arizona and New York, Clippard has a .302 BABiP. He suspects a less-effective-than-normal changeup is part of the reason, although he’s still “been trying to put (his) finger on it all season long.””

Juiced ball? Would explain the massive power spiking all over the league.

LHPSU
7 years ago
Reply to  drewsylvania

MLB BABiP, since 2010:
2010: .297
2011: .295
2012: .297
2013: .297
2014: .299
2015: .299
2016: .300

Tyler Clippard BABiP against, since 2010:
2010: .284
2011: .197
2012: .259
2013: .170
2014: .251
2015: .211
2016: .294