We Shoulda kept that Murton Fellah...

by ChadGod on Apr 22, 2009 12:43 AM PDT Comment 27 comments

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/free-matt-murton

The above link is a fangraphs.com piece written about the value of matt murton right now.

We should have kept him, look at this gem:

In his first 50 PAs for Colorado Springs, Murton is hitting .409/.480/.636 with six extra base hits, five walks, and just one strikeout. He’s running a .510 wOBA...

and this one...

At the least, Murton should be a right-handed platoon caddy for a team that has a LH hitting OF that struggles against same handed pitchers. Or a defensive replacement/pinch hitter in the NL. There’s no way that there are 750 better baseball players on the planet that Murton.

Hmmm...sounds familiar, FML

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wimberly isnt so bad

although repeating his 3rd season in AA was a surprise

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Corey%20Wimberly&pos=2B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=489432

by Asfan4ever723 on Apr 22, 2009 1:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

meh

The guy hasn’t exactly succeeded at the big league level. And that’s a pretty small sample size.

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Apr 22, 2009 1:58 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Moreover,

it’s a pretty small sample of a 27 year-old hitting AAA pitching at Colorado Springs, a city that’s higher altitude than Denver.

by Nate on Apr 22, 2009 2:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I do wonder though

what the A’s got out of trading Harden. I guess they weren’t going to resign him anyways so anything is a bonus, but didn’t seem to get much out of it. Same for Blanton trade.

Wang’s ERA is the same as the balance in my checkbook - Jennifer

by closetasfan on Apr 22, 2009 6:39 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Do you remember when Harden was here???

We are lucky we reived a Matt Murton jock strap in return. Anything we got in return for Harden should have been considered more than fine.

As for Blanton, we received the 2nd best 2nd base prospect in baseball and a pitcher with a really cool name for a pitcher, Outman. To get that kind of return on a pitcher that had an era of 4+ and for a pitcher that had already reached his ceiling, that’s not too bad either, IMO.

by bdemartin on Apr 22, 2009 7:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder, though

How would this year’s team look with a rotation of…

1. Harden
2. Blanton
3. Braden
4. Cahill
5. Anderson

Probably a little more reliable than what we’ve got today (with Duke & others in the wings to replace Harden). Plus, Cardenas = Jemile Weeks. Outman = Eveland. Gallagher = Gio. Patterson & Murton = Pennington & Carson. Yeah, we have much more depth in the farm system, but the redundancy is kinda weird.

So it begs the question… when did Beane decide to “go for it” in 2009? Was the Holliday deal too good to pass up? Personally, I think Beane knows exactly the teams who were willing to deal, and what players each team was willing to deal to get Matt Holliday in November 2008. And it gives Beane time to evaluate Eric Chavez in 2009, and trade Holliday to a contending team (or keep him) in July for a solid, young SS+

by Colorado Fan on Apr 22, 2009 7:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Harden can still self destruct at any time. I'd still rather have Gallagher.

It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 22, 2009 8:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This Year?

I’d rather have Gallagher long term. I’d rather have Harden this year.

by Colorado Fan on Apr 22, 2009 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The A's seem to hate him

and the trade is really depending on him becoming a valuable player to be even a success.

Some of the most violent things I’ve ever seen were at Raiders games. And I’ve been to jail. - leopold bloom

by designatedforassignment on Apr 22, 2009 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

dont forget the 12mill that blanton/harden would be making

went towards signing FA’s

by Asfan4ever723 on Apr 22, 2009 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I'd much rather have Giambi and Cabrera

Than Blanton and Harden.

"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."

by mikev on Apr 22, 2009 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Both trades need to be evaluated after some time has passed...

…as neither was intended for immediate benefit from the A’s standpoint.

I could prove God statistically. Take the human body alone - the chances that all the functions of an individual would just happen is a statistical monstrosity.
~George Gallup

by UncleLeo on Apr 22, 2009 7:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

The players to watch are Cardenas, Donaldson, and Gallagher. All of these guys could be dealing chips this season or next. Especially if by the end of the year our rotation is Anderson, Cahill, Gio, Mazzaro, Braden… which I think it will be, and could potentially be from 2009 – 2014.

by Colorado Fan on Apr 22, 2009 7:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that a lot

of the negative feelings surrounding the Harden trade are based on the fact that he stayed healthy all last year (sort of). Noone could have seen that lucky streak of health coming. Trading him when we did was smart, and waiting longer could have killed any value he had.

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Apr 22, 2009 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No the negative feelings about the Harden trade was the lack of value

Murton/Paterson are garbage and Gallagher is clearly in the doghouse and has injury issues. Thats essentially what the trade was if you consider Gaudin being traded for Donaldson which seems like appropriate value. That is not a fair return. I would have been plenty happy sitting on Harden hoping his arm doesn’t fall off the only cost to that is a 40 man spot, something im surely willing to sacrifice Grey(a?) for. Hated the trade at the time hate the trade now. I like Donaldson but hell we didn’t even ask for Vitters!

Some of the most violent things I’ve ever seen were at Raiders games. And I’ve been to jail. - leopold bloom

by designatedforassignment on Apr 22, 2009 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're assuming that other teams valued Harden more

Obviously, Beane took the best deal. I’d much rather have Murton/Patterson/Gallagher/Donaldson than a broken down Harden. I think making the move at that time was the right move, and I don’t think you can blame Beane for not anticipating a healthy Harden.

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Apr 22, 2009 7:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Very Todd Linden-ish

by Colorado Fan on Apr 22, 2009 7:39 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure this says anything, except...

…that Murton’s a good AAA player.

I could prove God statistically. Take the human body alone - the chances that all the functions of an individual would just happen is a statistical monstrosity.
~George Gallup

by UncleLeo on Apr 22, 2009 7:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It's Colorado Springs.

You basically suck if you don’t have a 1.000 OPS there.

"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."

by mikev on Apr 22, 2009 8:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Im just saying

a Murton/Buck platoon and a Sweeney/Denorfia platoon would be a vast improvement.

I miss Chad God

by ChadGod on Apr 22, 2009 9:31 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That's a lot of roster space being used on platoons

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Apr 22, 2009 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We're only using 21 guys anyway.

"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."

by mikev on Apr 22, 2009 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's true

Freaking Geren

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Apr 22, 2009 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The fella we should have kept is named Rich Harden.

by solotar on Apr 22, 2009 3:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

There’s no way that there are 750 better baseball players on the planet than Murton.

Who cares?

How many of those 50 or so guys at the bottom of that 750 play for contenders? Probably pretty close to zero.

How many of them are young and are thought to have potential for upside? Probably pretty close to all of them.

If a player isn’t good enough to help a contender and does not have the upside potential to help turn a non-contender into a contender, there is no real reason for an MLB team to put him on its roster.

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Apr 22, 2009 6:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs