Shelby to AZ for E. Inciarte, A. Blair, and Dansby Swanson

Horsehide Harry said:
Slow down a bit. They (AZ) traded a guy they drafted in June. I am thrilled with the trade. But it's not like Swanson is sitting in AAA with a real shot to break camp. The Braves traded for talent over immediacy, but that talent is still a ways away. That's as it should be: Quantity AND Quality based on where and when you want to be not where and when you are now.
Click to expand...

I'm not accelerating partner. I'm just having fun, try it sometime eh ?
 
Only problem with that argument hh, is we got Inciarte. He's at worst a damn good defensive player.
 
Since I was griping about Bourn in CF just a few hours ago, I'd have to say Inciarte shoud be a pretty useful piece.
 
Julio3000 said:
Since I was griping about Bourn in CF just a few hours ago, I'd have to say Inciarte shoud be a pretty useful piece.
Click to expand...

Would not be too big a guess to say Bourn might be DFA to help sort out the roster. Don't see him with any trade value.
 
rico43 said:
Would not be too big a guess to say Bourn might be DFA to help sort out the roster. Don't see him with any trade value.
Click to expand...

I was thinking that might be an option even before we got Inciarte. His biggest contribution to the team might be mentoring Mallex Smith.
 
Past three years WAR by fangraphs.

Shelby Miller-6.9

Inciarte-6.1

Important note: Inciarte has played less than 2 of the las three years. Miller has obviously played all three.
 
This from Kiley before Blair had a nice year at AAA.

3. Aaron Blair, RHP
Current Level/Age: AA/22.2, 6’5/230, R/R
Drafted: 36th overall (sandwich round) in 2013 out of Marshall by ARZ for $1.435 million bonus
Fastball: 50/55, Curveball: 45/50+, Changeup: 50/55, Command: 45/50

Scouting Report: Blair has slowly improved since being drafted last June that some in the organization have him as the #1 prospect in the system. He isn’t as flashy as Bradley and Shipley, but Blair has three pitches that all have been plus at times for scouts and are all regularly above average. One scout compared Blair’s ability to get heavy life on pitches to Roy Halladay, in part due to how big Blair’s hands are.

Another scout compared him as an overall pitcher to John Lackey and Lance Lynn, as a big and unspectacular but steady #3/4 starter that outperforms many more heralded talents. As noted in Bradley’s report, some think Blair may jump past the incredibly talented Bradley to settle in a big league rotation spot first amongst this top group of three Arizona prospects.

Blair sits 90-94 and has been up to 96 mph this year, with scouts noting the arm speed got a notch better this season, helping all of his stuff play up. He’s a control over command guy that throws a lot of strikes and the heavy life on his fastball helps induce weak contact rather than an excessive amount of strikeouts. Blair’s curveball was the concern as an amateur and early in his pro career, but now consistently shows average with some grading it as high as plus at times. His changeup has been his go-to off-speed pitch for years at is also consistently above average.

Summation: As you can see in the projected path, I think Blair starts the year in AA, gets a taste of the big leagues and sticks. He’s the kind of guy that these sorts of lists consistently underrate and then he never gets re-ranked when he proves us wrong as a big league asset. Consider this an advance apology for ranking him 3rd. Sorry, Aaron, but you need people like me that don’t learn from history and tell you that you aren’t good enough.

FV/Role/Risk: 55, #3/4 starter, Low (2 on 1-5 scale)
Projected Path: 2015: AA/AAA/MLB, 2016: MLB

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-prospects-arizona-diamondbacks/
 
weso1 said:
Only problem with that argument hh, is we got Inciarte. He's at worst a damn good defensive player.
Click to expand...

True. But he's not the centerpiece of this trade. The players coming back from AZ in value are Swanson, Blair then Inciarte.

The idea that pitching is more valuable than hitting right now just isn't a good argument IMO. Would anyone trade Trout for Price? Harper for Greinke?

Baseball cycles. Right now pitching is more plentiful than hitting. That doesn't mean pitching is not valuable but it's less valuable than good hitting.
 
From MLBpipeline

Position: RHP Age: 23 DOB: 05/26/1992
Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 5" Weight: 230 lb.
Drafted: 2013, CBA (36) - ARI
VIDEO
Other Lists: Top 100 Prospects (#61)
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55
The D-backs took Braden Shipley with their first selection in the 2013 Draft, then took Blair out of Marshall University next. The college duo have pitched in the same rotation at several levels, though it was Blair who reached Double-A first in 2014, then got promoted to Triple-A first in 2015.

Blair's above-average fastball will touch at least 95 mph, sitting in the low 90s, with good running movement. He has very good feel for a mid-80s changeup and his curveball has improved and could be better than Major League average when all is said and done. Scouts like how quickly Blair works and he goes right after hitters. As effective as Blair was at missing bats in 2014, he also didn't hurt himself with walks.

Blair shouldn't need too much more seasoning in the Minor Leagues and could be called upon to help out the big league rotation in the near future. He could develop into a very solid and durable middle-of-the-rotation type starter.
 
Julio3000 said:
Can anyone give a quick take on Blair?
Click to expand...

Scouting report in current BBA:

The key to Blair’s success is a heavy 91-95 mph fastball that features plus downhill plane, allowing him to keep balls on the ground and inducing weak contact. He gets swings-and-misses with an 11-to-5 curveball that he throws in the 72-76 mph range, a pitch that has improved from below-average to flash plus at times. His best secondary offering is a plus changeup in the 81-84 mph range that he uses to pitch to contact. He also brought out a fringy slider on occasion that gets slurvy at 82-84 mph. Projecting as a workhorse with a knack for going deep into his starts.

The downhill plane on his pitches generates lots of ground balls, making him suited to pitch in hitter-friendly Chase Field
 
Horsehide Harry said:
True. But he's not the centerpiece of this trade. The players coming back from AZ in value are Swanson, Blair then Inciarte.

The idea that pitching is more valuable than hitting right now just isn't a good argument IMO. Would anyone trade Trout for Price? Harper for Greinke?

Baseball cycles. Right now pitching is more plentiful than hitting. That doesn't mean pitching is not valuable but it's less valuable than good hitting.
Click to expand...



You are not comparing the hitters to their pitching equivalents. It would be more like, Kershaw.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top