Post by The Vermont Bombers on Nov 2, 2014 12:47:26 GMT -5
Washington Times
Are the Senators Mad Scientists, or Just Mad ?
By Fernando Butterman, Lead Baseball Writer
Part 2: April: Reseeding the Farm
The New Year saw the Senators begin restructuring their team as they dealt veteran Marian Fricano to St. Louis in exchange for two prospects. February saw a much smaller move as pitcher Joe Presko returned to the team that he’d spent the previous two years with to the tune of a three year, twelve million dollar contract. Most people in the industry were taken off guard by the move, although it is fair to say that even bad teams needs Closers. March was quiet in the nation’s capital as Spring Training got underway and Management got to take a look at what they had both on the present Major League team and down on the farm. Whatever it was that they saw, it apparently got their attention because April would be the organization’s busiest month.
April 16th: Signs 1B Hal Bevan to a Minor League deal, signs SS Ray Boone to a 1 year, 1.5 million dollar contract.
Neither of these moves were Earth shattering moves. Bevan was a career singles hitter that was known for his defense at Third Base, having won the Gold Glove at the position twice. Washington called him up to split time at First Base with Gail Henley instead. It also helped that Bevan played First, Second and Third Base.
The team also inked four time All-Star Ray Boone to a one year deal. He was not expected to be an All-Star for Washington, rather the team freely said that they signed him to give the team a respected veteran presence in the clubhouse. They didn’t need him to actively lead, just give the kids on the team an example to look up to. Boone also played three positions, First, Short and Third, offering greater depth and lineup flexibility to the team.
Initial Verdict: B-
Justification: Neither player is a stud, but both add depth to the lineup and good experience for the youngsters to learn from.
Update: Both players had basically forgettable years at the dish, but played enough to help keep the infield healthy for most of the season. There is value in depth, just not a lot of it in this case.
Both are allowed to depart via Free Agency at the end of the 1960 season.
Final Verdict: C-
April 23rd: This was a very busy day for Washington and as such is going to be divided up into sections. The first move of the day saw them make a three for one trade with Baltimore. The second move was a collection of important contract extensions and the final set of moves for the day cleaned out a lot of dead wood from the farm system and release an ineffective Relief Pitcher from the active roster, thus freeing up room for an infusion of youth into the bullpen.
Move 1: Trades 1B Bill Skowron, 2B Earl Weaver and 3B prospect Steve Boros to Baltimore for SP prospect Bill Kirk.
Trading two of the best defenders in your infield is not often seen as a move that is conducive to contending, or even being good for that matter, especially when one of those players is a fairly young Second Baseman with exceptional range and very good hands. It’s even more perplexing when a promising prospect is included in the deal. That is exactly what Washington did, as it included promising Third Baseman/Outfielder Steve Boros in the trade.
If taken from Washington’s point of view, Skowron and Weaver wouldn’t help the team win now and Boros was a few years from making it to the majors, especially on a team that was full of strong Third Base and Outfield prospects. Washington was losing with Skowron and Weaver on the field and could lose just as easily without them, so if they were part of the price to acquire a promising left handed starting pitcher, Washington was happy to pay. Baltimore was certainly happy with their half of trade, as Skowron was slotted in at First Base and Weaver went to the bench as their infield utility player and late game defensive substitution.
Twenty Five year old Bill Kirk (now twenty six) was a promising left handed Starting Pitcher that had never had a huge year in the minors, yet had a world of talent that could be tapped into and developed. Kirk is a soft tossing control pitcher who relies more on the movement of his sinker, the movement of his slider and his deceptive change up than he ever did on his average fastball. In spite of his less than stellar minor league numbers, Washington saw a pitcher with the potential to develop into a middle of the rotation arm that could ring up a lot of strikeouts and log at least 230 innings a year.
Initial Verdict: B.
Justification: Kirk’s results had never matched up to his apparent talent. As a pitcher that has to rely on guile and skill over raw stuff, Kirk had still punched out 181 in 132 innings at Double A Vancouver in 1959, giving observers encouragement that he could develop into a strikeout arm. Kirk will need to keep the ball on the ground in order to succeed.
Update: Kirk saw a jump in his strikeout potential and control this season and Washington called him up in September because of it. Kirk only surrendered three hits in the seven innings that he pitched with two strikeouts and two walks, while not giving up any runs. It’s still far too early to grade the acquisition at the major league level, but Washington has to like what they’re seeing out of him.
Final Verdict: Incomplete.
Move 2: Re-signs 3B Harmon Killebrew to a 4 year, 26.2 million dollar extension.
I know that this move happened along with the re-signing of the entire starting rotation, but this one deserves individual attention (as does one other). In this case it deserves attention because it keeps a young and maturing future cornerstone player in a Washington/Minnesota uniform for another four years, when he’s entering his prime. As it is, Killebrew has improved in nearly every aspect of his game so far and everyone expected big things from him entering the 1960 season.
Initial Verdict: A-
Justification: This rating is mostly due to the fact that he had so much room to improve when the season started. Buying out his last arbitration year was an excellent strategy and one that was guaranteed to convince the fan base that the team had better long term plans that centered on him. Every team needs a big bat and for Washington/Minnesota, Killebrew is that bat.
Update: Killebrew continued to mature as the season went on and it showed. His range at Third improved, elevating him from league average to potential Gold Glove contender. (His hands still need work). There are rumors that Washington/Minnesota plans to move him to First, but that is far from confirmed. Offensively, Killebrew continues to grow. He set career highs in doubles (31), batting average (.306), on base % (.411), slugging (.502) and OPS (.903) and showed maturing strike zone judgment in September. If Washington/Minnesota has one question to answer, it is whether to leave him at Third, where he committed 12 errors in 273 total chances or to move him to First or Left, where he shows less range, but better defense. Most teams would kill to have such a dilemma.
Final Verdict: A
Move 3: Re-sign SP George Zuverink to a 3 year, 7.59 million dollar extension.
This is another move that deserved special mention because Zuv has been so valuable to the team since they signed him to his initial contract during the 1958-59 off season. Since then Zuverink has shown that he can be effective as the Closer after posting 30 saves in his first season and was expected to reprise that role in 1960. In spite of his age, Zuverink was a smart re-signing by the team. Even if the third year is slightly risky (2.53 million isn’t a lot to pay a 39 year old), it’s a risk worth taking for everything that he brings to the table. Zuverink doesn’t try to lead, but is one of the foremost clubhouse leaders just because of his presence and experience. The young arms look up to him and listen to him when he speaks, which is invaluable to a team like Washington.
Initial Verdict: B+
Justification: Barring a complete implosion, there’s no way that this extension is a bad one going forward.
Update: Zuverink went into the rotation in late May and made a strong case for being Washington’s lone representative on the American League All Star Team. His 5-6 record and 2.79 ERA should have put him on the All Star team but didn’t, which was criminal. Zuverink tired a bit in the second half, but still finished with a respectable 9-12 record and 3.35 ERA in 214.2 innings. The fact that Zuverink only got two wins out of his last 11 starts, in spite of logging six quality starts over that two month period says a lot about the kind of run support he received. In five of those starts he went 6 innings or more and surrendered three runs or less. Zuverink should have finished with a winning record, or at the very least a .500 record. Washington made the right move re-signing him.
Final Verdict: A-
Move 4: Re-signed SP Camile Pascual to a 3 year, 3.03 million dollar extension, SP Harley Grossman to a 3 year, 3.36 million dollar extension and SP Mark Freeman to a 3 year, 2.85 million dollar extension.
Signing 4/5 of the starting rotation to cheap, short term extensions is the right course to take. At 29 and 30, Freeman and Grossman are sensible extensions for pitchers who have the potential to reach the 200 strikeout level. If they both have one glaring concern, it is their mutual propensity for issuing far too many free passes. In 1959 alone, Grossman issued 103 and Freeman issued 104, making him 10th in the American League with Freeman right behind him. Washington can’t sustain that walk rate, even if both manage to strike out 200 in a season. It leads to too many runs surrendered and a tired bullpen. Freeman was also tied for the league lead in losses, with 22. That must change as well. Freeman had what was easily the worst year of his career and there is every reason to believe that he can return to his previous form, although the wins will probably still come up short because of the offense being what it will be.
The most promising of the three young pitchers is Camile Pascual. At only 26 years of age, he still had plenty of room for improvement when he signed his extension. Pascual has above average endurance and has shown a talent for ringing up punch outs, although he hasn’t quite mastered it yet. He too is somewhat prone to walks, although this is also not as much of an issue for him due to his age, as there is plenty of time for this skill to be fine-tuned as well. Washington/Minnesota Management has always been high on his skill set, all he needs to do is harness it and Washington could have an excellent #2 or 3 starter, which would allow them to move Grossman and Freeman further down into the rotation, or even more Freeman into the bullpen where he could be more useful in the long term.
Initial Verdict: B-
Justification: There are still too many “ifs” in this situation for it the rating to be any higher. If Freeman and Grossman can cut down on their walks and Pascual can develop and refine his skill set, this could easily be a B+ by the end of the 1960 season.
Update: While Pascual’s 1960 numbers ended up being essentially mediocre, there were signs for optimism here. He won 12 games in spite of his situation (yes, he also lost 11 and wins are a deceiving statistic). He did so while posting an ERA of 4.46, which was good enough for second on the team amongst those who played the entire season for Washington/Minnesota. (Mike Garcia edged him out at 4.35, but didn’t join the team until a July trade with the Cubs). Additionally, while Pascual spent the season fighting a growing proclivity to surrender walks, he appeared to take a large step forward in July. Pascaul struck out 80 and walked 62 from March through the end of July. Starting in August, Pascual turned a corner, Pascual struck out 64 and walked 33. Whether it was new found confidence because of his improved control or something else, he struck out nearly as many in two months as he had in the previous five and walked fewer than he had in his first two months of the season. Whether this translates into next season or not is anyone’s guess, but the signs are encouraging.
Freeman and Grossman both need big bounce back years in 1961 to justify the team's decision to not only protect them in the Expansion Draft, but also to re-sign them to new contracts. If they come back strong, this "final verdict" could be a solid "B+" or "A-" at the end of the upcoming season.
Final Verdict: B
Move 5: Released SP Bill Giallombardo and Jim J. Jones, RP Merlin Nippert, Dave Skaugstad and John Upham and Catchers Ben Hines and Hector Valle.
This move was simple minor league housecleaning. None of the players released have a major league future barring miraculous leaps forward in their talents (or lack thereof). Releasing Giallombardo and Jones allowed Washington to get much needed innings to Burt Cueto and Ron Herbel. The rotation at A Ball Fox Cities is in need of rebuilding and depending on what they pick up in the draft this year, it could go a long way towards rectifying it.
Initial Verdict: A+
Justification: This move was necessary, as once the 1960 Draft is complete and the Expansion Draft happens in 1961, Fox Cities is going to need to completely rebuild their Rotation and bullpen. (Again).
Update: Washington/Minnesota drafted SP Steve Blass in the first round, 12th overall but eventually dealt him to the Cubs in the trade that allowed them to clear the salary of Don Newcombe. (More on that in Part 3). They also took then Starting Pitcher Rollie Sheldon in the second round, 32nd overall. Sheldon has since turned into a serviceable Major League Reliever.
Final Verdict: TBD.
Move 6: Released Major League Reliever Ralph Beard
At one time, Beard was a promising Major League Relief Pitcher. Unfortunately for him, that promise was very short lived and his Major League career suffered accordingly. After his first full season it looked like his career was on the uptrend, pitching to an ERA of 3.34 in 32.1 innings with 18 strikeouts. That was when the wheels fell off. The 1958 season saw him post an ERA of 5.62 in 41.2 innings and spend 1959 in Triple A Chattanooga. His numbers there weren't impressive, but he kept his job on a paid Major League Contract.
Initial Verdict: A
Justification: Beard was taking up space in a Major League Bullpen that is better served for someone the team can build around.
Update: 26 games, 0-2, 7.48 ERA, 27.2 IP/ 33 H, 25 R, 23 ER, 22 BB/13 K.
Rollie Sheldon and Milt Pappas eventually replaced him.
Need I say more ?
Final Verdict: A+
A huge April in Washington set the tone for the future course of the organization. While their organizational philosophy was somewhat nebulous coming out of March, April sent a loud and clear signal to not only the league, but also to everyone in the organization that the team was going into full rebuild mode. If April showers brought may flowers to Washington, it was going to be a sweltering summer in the nation’s capital.
Next article: Part 3: The Senators Sweltering Summer
Are the Senators Mad Scientists, or Just Mad ?
By Fernando Butterman, Lead Baseball Writer
Part 2: April: Reseeding the Farm
The New Year saw the Senators begin restructuring their team as they dealt veteran Marian Fricano to St. Louis in exchange for two prospects. February saw a much smaller move as pitcher Joe Presko returned to the team that he’d spent the previous two years with to the tune of a three year, twelve million dollar contract. Most people in the industry were taken off guard by the move, although it is fair to say that even bad teams needs Closers. March was quiet in the nation’s capital as Spring Training got underway and Management got to take a look at what they had both on the present Major League team and down on the farm. Whatever it was that they saw, it apparently got their attention because April would be the organization’s busiest month.
April 16th: Signs 1B Hal Bevan to a Minor League deal, signs SS Ray Boone to a 1 year, 1.5 million dollar contract.
Neither of these moves were Earth shattering moves. Bevan was a career singles hitter that was known for his defense at Third Base, having won the Gold Glove at the position twice. Washington called him up to split time at First Base with Gail Henley instead. It also helped that Bevan played First, Second and Third Base.
The team also inked four time All-Star Ray Boone to a one year deal. He was not expected to be an All-Star for Washington, rather the team freely said that they signed him to give the team a respected veteran presence in the clubhouse. They didn’t need him to actively lead, just give the kids on the team an example to look up to. Boone also played three positions, First, Short and Third, offering greater depth and lineup flexibility to the team.
Initial Verdict: B-
Justification: Neither player is a stud, but both add depth to the lineup and good experience for the youngsters to learn from.
Update: Both players had basically forgettable years at the dish, but played enough to help keep the infield healthy for most of the season. There is value in depth, just not a lot of it in this case.
Both are allowed to depart via Free Agency at the end of the 1960 season.
Final Verdict: C-
April 23rd: This was a very busy day for Washington and as such is going to be divided up into sections. The first move of the day saw them make a three for one trade with Baltimore. The second move was a collection of important contract extensions and the final set of moves for the day cleaned out a lot of dead wood from the farm system and release an ineffective Relief Pitcher from the active roster, thus freeing up room for an infusion of youth into the bullpen.
Move 1: Trades 1B Bill Skowron, 2B Earl Weaver and 3B prospect Steve Boros to Baltimore for SP prospect Bill Kirk.
Trading two of the best defenders in your infield is not often seen as a move that is conducive to contending, or even being good for that matter, especially when one of those players is a fairly young Second Baseman with exceptional range and very good hands. It’s even more perplexing when a promising prospect is included in the deal. That is exactly what Washington did, as it included promising Third Baseman/Outfielder Steve Boros in the trade.
If taken from Washington’s point of view, Skowron and Weaver wouldn’t help the team win now and Boros was a few years from making it to the majors, especially on a team that was full of strong Third Base and Outfield prospects. Washington was losing with Skowron and Weaver on the field and could lose just as easily without them, so if they were part of the price to acquire a promising left handed starting pitcher, Washington was happy to pay. Baltimore was certainly happy with their half of trade, as Skowron was slotted in at First Base and Weaver went to the bench as their infield utility player and late game defensive substitution.
Twenty Five year old Bill Kirk (now twenty six) was a promising left handed Starting Pitcher that had never had a huge year in the minors, yet had a world of talent that could be tapped into and developed. Kirk is a soft tossing control pitcher who relies more on the movement of his sinker, the movement of his slider and his deceptive change up than he ever did on his average fastball. In spite of his less than stellar minor league numbers, Washington saw a pitcher with the potential to develop into a middle of the rotation arm that could ring up a lot of strikeouts and log at least 230 innings a year.
Initial Verdict: B.
Justification: Kirk’s results had never matched up to his apparent talent. As a pitcher that has to rely on guile and skill over raw stuff, Kirk had still punched out 181 in 132 innings at Double A Vancouver in 1959, giving observers encouragement that he could develop into a strikeout arm. Kirk will need to keep the ball on the ground in order to succeed.
Update: Kirk saw a jump in his strikeout potential and control this season and Washington called him up in September because of it. Kirk only surrendered three hits in the seven innings that he pitched with two strikeouts and two walks, while not giving up any runs. It’s still far too early to grade the acquisition at the major league level, but Washington has to like what they’re seeing out of him.
Final Verdict: Incomplete.
Move 2: Re-signs 3B Harmon Killebrew to a 4 year, 26.2 million dollar extension.
I know that this move happened along with the re-signing of the entire starting rotation, but this one deserves individual attention (as does one other). In this case it deserves attention because it keeps a young and maturing future cornerstone player in a Washington/Minnesota uniform for another four years, when he’s entering his prime. As it is, Killebrew has improved in nearly every aspect of his game so far and everyone expected big things from him entering the 1960 season.
Initial Verdict: A-
Justification: This rating is mostly due to the fact that he had so much room to improve when the season started. Buying out his last arbitration year was an excellent strategy and one that was guaranteed to convince the fan base that the team had better long term plans that centered on him. Every team needs a big bat and for Washington/Minnesota, Killebrew is that bat.
Update: Killebrew continued to mature as the season went on and it showed. His range at Third improved, elevating him from league average to potential Gold Glove contender. (His hands still need work). There are rumors that Washington/Minnesota plans to move him to First, but that is far from confirmed. Offensively, Killebrew continues to grow. He set career highs in doubles (31), batting average (.306), on base % (.411), slugging (.502) and OPS (.903) and showed maturing strike zone judgment in September. If Washington/Minnesota has one question to answer, it is whether to leave him at Third, where he committed 12 errors in 273 total chances or to move him to First or Left, where he shows less range, but better defense. Most teams would kill to have such a dilemma.
Final Verdict: A
Move 3: Re-sign SP George Zuverink to a 3 year, 7.59 million dollar extension.
This is another move that deserved special mention because Zuv has been so valuable to the team since they signed him to his initial contract during the 1958-59 off season. Since then Zuverink has shown that he can be effective as the Closer after posting 30 saves in his first season and was expected to reprise that role in 1960. In spite of his age, Zuverink was a smart re-signing by the team. Even if the third year is slightly risky (2.53 million isn’t a lot to pay a 39 year old), it’s a risk worth taking for everything that he brings to the table. Zuverink doesn’t try to lead, but is one of the foremost clubhouse leaders just because of his presence and experience. The young arms look up to him and listen to him when he speaks, which is invaluable to a team like Washington.
Initial Verdict: B+
Justification: Barring a complete implosion, there’s no way that this extension is a bad one going forward.
Update: Zuverink went into the rotation in late May and made a strong case for being Washington’s lone representative on the American League All Star Team. His 5-6 record and 2.79 ERA should have put him on the All Star team but didn’t, which was criminal. Zuverink tired a bit in the second half, but still finished with a respectable 9-12 record and 3.35 ERA in 214.2 innings. The fact that Zuverink only got two wins out of his last 11 starts, in spite of logging six quality starts over that two month period says a lot about the kind of run support he received. In five of those starts he went 6 innings or more and surrendered three runs or less. Zuverink should have finished with a winning record, or at the very least a .500 record. Washington made the right move re-signing him.
Final Verdict: A-
Move 4: Re-signed SP Camile Pascual to a 3 year, 3.03 million dollar extension, SP Harley Grossman to a 3 year, 3.36 million dollar extension and SP Mark Freeman to a 3 year, 2.85 million dollar extension.
Signing 4/5 of the starting rotation to cheap, short term extensions is the right course to take. At 29 and 30, Freeman and Grossman are sensible extensions for pitchers who have the potential to reach the 200 strikeout level. If they both have one glaring concern, it is their mutual propensity for issuing far too many free passes. In 1959 alone, Grossman issued 103 and Freeman issued 104, making him 10th in the American League with Freeman right behind him. Washington can’t sustain that walk rate, even if both manage to strike out 200 in a season. It leads to too many runs surrendered and a tired bullpen. Freeman was also tied for the league lead in losses, with 22. That must change as well. Freeman had what was easily the worst year of his career and there is every reason to believe that he can return to his previous form, although the wins will probably still come up short because of the offense being what it will be.
The most promising of the three young pitchers is Camile Pascual. At only 26 years of age, he still had plenty of room for improvement when he signed his extension. Pascual has above average endurance and has shown a talent for ringing up punch outs, although he hasn’t quite mastered it yet. He too is somewhat prone to walks, although this is also not as much of an issue for him due to his age, as there is plenty of time for this skill to be fine-tuned as well. Washington/Minnesota Management has always been high on his skill set, all he needs to do is harness it and Washington could have an excellent #2 or 3 starter, which would allow them to move Grossman and Freeman further down into the rotation, or even more Freeman into the bullpen where he could be more useful in the long term.
Initial Verdict: B-
Justification: There are still too many “ifs” in this situation for it the rating to be any higher. If Freeman and Grossman can cut down on their walks and Pascual can develop and refine his skill set, this could easily be a B+ by the end of the 1960 season.
Update: While Pascual’s 1960 numbers ended up being essentially mediocre, there were signs for optimism here. He won 12 games in spite of his situation (yes, he also lost 11 and wins are a deceiving statistic). He did so while posting an ERA of 4.46, which was good enough for second on the team amongst those who played the entire season for Washington/Minnesota. (Mike Garcia edged him out at 4.35, but didn’t join the team until a July trade with the Cubs). Additionally, while Pascual spent the season fighting a growing proclivity to surrender walks, he appeared to take a large step forward in July. Pascaul struck out 80 and walked 62 from March through the end of July. Starting in August, Pascual turned a corner, Pascual struck out 64 and walked 33. Whether it was new found confidence because of his improved control or something else, he struck out nearly as many in two months as he had in the previous five and walked fewer than he had in his first two months of the season. Whether this translates into next season or not is anyone’s guess, but the signs are encouraging.
Freeman and Grossman both need big bounce back years in 1961 to justify the team's decision to not only protect them in the Expansion Draft, but also to re-sign them to new contracts. If they come back strong, this "final verdict" could be a solid "B+" or "A-" at the end of the upcoming season.
Final Verdict: B
Move 5: Released SP Bill Giallombardo and Jim J. Jones, RP Merlin Nippert, Dave Skaugstad and John Upham and Catchers Ben Hines and Hector Valle.
This move was simple minor league housecleaning. None of the players released have a major league future barring miraculous leaps forward in their talents (or lack thereof). Releasing Giallombardo and Jones allowed Washington to get much needed innings to Burt Cueto and Ron Herbel. The rotation at A Ball Fox Cities is in need of rebuilding and depending on what they pick up in the draft this year, it could go a long way towards rectifying it.
Initial Verdict: A+
Justification: This move was necessary, as once the 1960 Draft is complete and the Expansion Draft happens in 1961, Fox Cities is going to need to completely rebuild their Rotation and bullpen. (Again).
Update: Washington/Minnesota drafted SP Steve Blass in the first round, 12th overall but eventually dealt him to the Cubs in the trade that allowed them to clear the salary of Don Newcombe. (More on that in Part 3). They also took then Starting Pitcher Rollie Sheldon in the second round, 32nd overall. Sheldon has since turned into a serviceable Major League Reliever.
Final Verdict: TBD.
Move 6: Released Major League Reliever Ralph Beard
At one time, Beard was a promising Major League Relief Pitcher. Unfortunately for him, that promise was very short lived and his Major League career suffered accordingly. After his first full season it looked like his career was on the uptrend, pitching to an ERA of 3.34 in 32.1 innings with 18 strikeouts. That was when the wheels fell off. The 1958 season saw him post an ERA of 5.62 in 41.2 innings and spend 1959 in Triple A Chattanooga. His numbers there weren't impressive, but he kept his job on a paid Major League Contract.
Initial Verdict: A
Justification: Beard was taking up space in a Major League Bullpen that is better served for someone the team can build around.
Update: 26 games, 0-2, 7.48 ERA, 27.2 IP/ 33 H, 25 R, 23 ER, 22 BB/13 K.
Rollie Sheldon and Milt Pappas eventually replaced him.
Need I say more ?
Final Verdict: A+
A huge April in Washington set the tone for the future course of the organization. While their organizational philosophy was somewhat nebulous coming out of March, April sent a loud and clear signal to not only the league, but also to everyone in the organization that the team was going into full rebuild mode. If April showers brought may flowers to Washington, it was going to be a sweltering summer in the nation’s capital.
Next article: Part 3: The Senators Sweltering Summer
