FanPost

Updating the 'Diamonds in the Rough'

You may remember the Diamonds in the Rough piece last fall where we looked at potential 'under the radar steals of typically cheap, young pitchers that for whatever reason become available.' Just wanted to update a couple of interesting turns with a few of them:

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Francisco Liriano (MIN) - His career looked doomed to be synonymous w/ the phrase "what could have been". But 49 IP, a 0.80 ERA, an 11+ K/9 & only 5 BB's later and scouts have taken notice of his work in the DWL; and it isn't just the results but the re-emergence of that electric stuff. Unfortunately, it sounds like the Twins are excited to see him this spring but hey, it couldn't hurt to see if they'd like to cash out now that Liriano's value is back out of the cellar, in case they feel this is all a Winter League-induced mirage especially with arbitration years about to kick in.

Dana Eveland (OAK) - On a much more realistic note, Eveland was recently DFA'd by the A's. Apparently they were frustrated w/ his poor results in '09, but that .335 BABIP certainly didn't help him. Command is a real concern with him and conditioning has always been an issue but who are we to turn down a lefty former top prospect w/ decent stuff, a track record of success in Triple-A and a decent season in the majors (4.09 FIP in 168 IP in 2008) under his belt, all for peanuts?

Sean Marshall (CHC) - Where exactly does he fit in with the Cubs? The recent acquisitions of Tom Gorzelanny and Carlos Silva into an already crowded rotation likely drop him out of the starting picture. In the pen, he's effectively a LOOGY (.800+ OPS v. righties in '09) yet in that same Gorzelanny trade, the Cubs acquired John Grabow to take hold of the LOOGY role; meanwhile lefty relief prospect John Gaub dominated lefties at Triple-A in '09 and looks ready. To further complicate matters, Marshall recently avoided arbitration by agreeing to about a $1M salary for 2010 which seems a hefty sum for a 2nd-3rd string LOOGY. Also, he's out of options. Seems like trading conditions are ripe for a guy whose previous numbers indicate he can likely provide decent results at the back-end of a rotation.

Joe Martinez (SF) - Martinez sounds eerily similar to our very own Nelson Figueroa: RHP out of the tri-state area, low draft pick, solid results in the minors, low velocity but very good curve and excellent command, made his major league debut at age 26, regularly passed over within own org. by prospects, FA's, etc. Also like Figgy, Martinez looks like he'll be familiar with the shuttle between Triple-A and the show, as injury depth. Problem is, as the 7th-8th SP option in an organization known for it's young pitching depth, there isn't much margin for error. So his recent AFL performance (where he posted a 6.08 ERA facing hitters 5-7 yrs his junior) has some thinking Martinez's days in the Bay Area may be numbered. But with a league min. salary and a couple option years left, the guy has value.

And last but certainly not least, Glen Perkins caught this fish.

This FanPost was contributed by a member of the community and was not subject to any vetting or approval process.