Giants released 38 year old pitcher Al Hrabosky this past week. Hrabosky was the first pick for the Giants in the 1970 draft and labored in their farm system till he was traded in a deal that send him to Washington/Texas. In 1979, Big Al returned to the Giants and pitched both in the pen and as a starter till his age finally caught up with him in the 1987 season. He spent the better part of the post all star game season in triple a and will not be invited back to spring training. Hrabosky is scheduled for a front office job somewhere in the organzation as thanks for his dedication to the team.
Hrabosky finishes his career with a record of 79 wins and 58 losses. Of the 656 games Hrabosky was in, 39 were starts in the latter part of his career. Hrabosky had 158 saves and a remarkable 2.93 lifetime earned run average. His best year came in 1984 as a part time starter when he finished at 13-4 with a league leading era of 1.58.
Cdl Giants
Here is the 1987 CDL all-rookie team. The lineup has no real holes, but on the mound, the team is weaker than in previous years. Notice that 8 of the 9 batters are from the American League, while 4 of the 6 pitchers come from the National League.
Catcher : Mark Bailey, Orioles. 547 PA. ,217/,325/,378. 18 homeruns, 73 RBI. 2nd round pick, 39th overall in 1984.
Comment : Bailey has two weaknesses : he can’t hit for average and he’s inconsistent. But he has some interesting strenghts : he can wait for his pitch and then hit it for power. If he can get his average up to ,250, he’ll be one of the best catchers in the league. Just by keeping it over ,200, he’ll be a solid one. Jeff Russell (Phillies) was a distant second.
First base : Dan Pasqua, Royals. 646 PA. ,237/,323/,463. 31 homeruns, 91 RBI. 2nd round pick, 32nd overall in 1985. Traded to Kansas City in the deal that sent Julio Franco and Andre Dawson to Pittsburgh.
Comment : Tough choice here, as Pasqua played as a DH. Since the All-rookie team has no DH, he was inserted as a 1B. Pasqua is another slugger with patience and below-average contact skills, although he might still improve. Cecil Fielder (Blue Jays) was runner-up.
Second base : Bip Roberts, Brewers. 517 PA. ,286/,321/,393. 2 homeruns, 58 RBI, 25 stolen bases. 2nd round pick, 41st overall in 1986.
Comment : Splitting his time between 2B and 3B, Roberts had a solid season after starting the year in AAA, hitting ,396 in 26 games. His 25 steals are obscured by the fact that he was caught stealing 21 times. Tim Hullett (Reds) was the only other rookie playing a significant amount of games at 2B.
Third base : Kevin Seitzer, White Sox. 538 PA. ,307/,340/,446. 10 homeruns, 68 RBIs. 1st round pick, 14th overall in 1986.
Comment : Seitzer will challenge Barry Bonds for the AL ROY award after his strong debut. A good defensive player, Seitzer still played most of his games as DH, leaving Tom O’Malley at the hot corner. Dave Magadan (Mets) also was a good candidate.
Shortstop : Barry Larkin, Padres. 672 PA. ,287/,312/,408. 10 homeruns, 74 RBIs, 48 stolen bases. 1st round pick, 5th overall in 1986
Comment : The favorite for NL ROY honor, Larkin showed the skills that should make him the dominant shortstop of the next decade. While he commited 28 errors, he showed above-average range. Glenn Hubbard (Astros) was the only other rookie shorstop receiving significant playing time.
Outfielders : Barry Bonds, Blue Jays. 602 PA. ,254/,367/,468. 17 homeruns, 72 RBIs, 61 SB. 1st round pick, 3rd overall in 1986.
B.J. Surhoff, Mariners. 615 PA. ,285/,340/,415. 9 homeruns, 58 RBIs, 30 SB. 1st round pick, 15th overall in 1987.
Luis Polonia, Brewers. 603 PA. ,285/,322/,388. 6 homeruns, 53 RBIs, 28 SB. 2nd round pick, 45th overall in 1987.
Comment : Bonds had a season good enough to be the favorite to be named AL ROY, but more was expected after his great two months with the Blue Jays in 1986. Still, he’s a five-tool player still improving. Surhoff and Polonia are similar players, good contact hitters with limited power but good speed. While Polonia can play center and has no more power potential, Surhoff can play first base and behind the plate and should develop more power as he ages. Larry Sheets (Rangers) and Gerald Young (Astros) were also considered.
Starting pitchers : Bob Woodward, Padres. 7-11 3,48 ERA. 168 IP, 48 BB, 123 K. 3rd round pick, 57th overall in 1985.
Sid Fernandez, Padres, 11-6 4,32 ERA. 141,2 IP, 78 BB, 119 K. 1st round pick, 3rd overall in 1983.
Eric Bell, Giants. 9-4, 3,01 ERA. 124,1 IP, 58 BB, 120 K. 4th round pick, 84th overall in 1985 by the Yankees. Traded to the San Francisco in a swap of draft picks.
Comment : It was a weak year for rookie starters, with two of the elected pitchers being converted relievers with stamina problems. Still, Woodward and Bell pitched really well when on the mound. Longtime prospect Fernandez converted his potential into a solid season, unfortunately ending in a serious injury. Mark Portugal (Cards) and Joe Magrane (Rangers) were considered.
Relivers : Mike Henneman, Astros. 6-8, 33 saves, 3,31 ERA. 73,1 IP, 22 BB, 49 K. 1st round pick, 17th overall in 1987.
Duane Ward, Twins. 7-5, 6 saves, 2,83 ERA. 76,1 IP, 43 BB, 63 K. 1st round pick, 17th overall in 1986..
Greg Booker, Orioles. 4-4, 1 save, 3,03 ERA. 86 IP, 37 BB, 41 K. 2nd round pick, 52th overall in 1983.
Comment : Henneman could beat Larkin for the NL ROY award as in addition to collecting to precious saves, he also pitched very well. Ward pitched quality innings for a playoff team, while Booker was solid, if unspectacular. Runners-up were Dewayne Buice (Yankees) and Jeff Parrett (Cards).
In short, here's the 1987 All-rookie team
C : Mark Bailey, Orioles
1b : Dan Pasqua, Royals
2b : Bip Roberts, Brewers
3B : Kevin Seitzer, White Sox
SS : Barry Larkin, Padres
OF : Barry Bonds, Blue Jays
OF : B.J. Surhoff, Mariners
OF : Luis Polonia, Brewers
SP : Bob Woodward, Padres
SP : Sid Fernandez, Padres
SP : Eric Bell, Giants
RP : Mike Henneman, Astros
RP : Duane Ward, Twins
RP : Greg Booker, Orioles
Rookies of the Month for September were announced yesterday, the honors going to Dan Pasqua (Royals) in the Amrican League and Barry Larkin (Padres) in the National League.
Pasqua, one of the league's best prospects, had a great month, hitting ,289/,391/,526 in 114 at bats. He hit 6 homeruns and had 19 RBI. The 25 years old DH ends his rookie season with a ,237/,323/,463 line, with 31 taters and 91 RBI.
Pasqua was a second round pick of the Pirates in 1985. He was traded to KC a couple of months later in a big deal sending Julio Franco, Andre Dawson and a second round pick to Pittsburgh for Pasqua, Jim Deshaies, Darryl Motley, Dick Schofield, Danny Tartabull and Jack Perconte.
Pasqua finished ahead of Milwaukee's Luis Polonia (,343-1-7) and Oakland's Mike Dunne (2,84 ERA in 25,1 IP, 2 saves).
Larkin won his second ROM award in the NL by hitting ,336/,364/,460 in 113 at bats, to go with 12 SB in 13 attempts. He hit one homerun, scored 19 times and collected 16 RBIs.
His strong month makes him the favorite for ROY honor, as he finishes with a ,287/,312/,408 line, with 10 HR, 74 RBI and 48 stolen bases.
Houston's Mike Henneman (1-1, 7 saves, 2,19) and Gerald Young (,337-0-8) were also considered.
ROY race update :
AL : While Barry Bonds had an ordinary month (,212/,362/,365), his two main opponents, Kevin Seitzer (,232/,259/,329) and B.J. Surhoff (,192/,245/,242) were terrible and are probably now long shots.
Still, Barry Bonds triple crown numbers are relatively low (,254-17-72) so he might be overlooked, in favor of Seitzer (,307-10-68), Surhoff (,285-9-58) or Pasqua.
NL : Barry Larkin had a strong finish to clearly end the season as the top rookie position player in the league. His opponent on the mound is Mike Henneman (6-8, 33 saves, 3,31 ERA).
Recap of past Rookies of the month for 1987 :
American League
April : Kevin Seitzer, Chicago
May : Mark Bailey, Baltimore
June : Barry Bonds, Toronto
July : Barry Bonds, Toronto
August : Cecil Fielder, Toronto
National League
April : Barry Larkin, San Diego
May : Sid Fernandez, San Diego
June : Mike Henneman, Houston
July : Eric Bell, San Francisco
August : Fred McGriff, St. Louis
Well it's the end of a disappointing season in Toronto, one that had the Jays dropping from 89 wins to 72 wins in one season. The majority of the blame should fall on the pitching staff, which allowed more runs than all but one team, but the offense wasn't the same as it was last year either, although it is expected to only get better. Barry Bonds and Cecil Fielder emerged as hot rookies, each placing a rookie of the month trophy on their respective shelves. Danny Jackson emerged as a possible future ace with a strong second half, and Andy Van Slyke cemented his spot as a league star by making his second consecutive all star game, and the team has plenty of money to spend in free agency to rebuild a bullpen and starting staff that lacks definition.
Bonds and Van Slyke each swiped 60 bases and fielded flawlessly side by side in the outfield, along with hitting for average and power together. Toronto's two five-tool players are emerging as a tandem to be reckoned with, and Jesse Barfield and Cecil Fielder (26 and 21 home runs respectively in their first seasons of considerable action) became a young power duo for Toronto to build on. 8-year verteran Mickey Hatcher had yet another strong season, and should be a more than capable third base prescence as the veteran on this young team which will lose starters Ken Phelps, Derrel Thomas, Sixto Lezcano, and Lee Mazzili to free agency. The good news? Key parts Fielder, Spike Owen, Hatcher, Barfield, Bonds, Van Slyke, and the four decent pitchers on the team, Jackson, Jeff Heathcock, Bob Knepper, and George Cappuzzello will return to a team sure to be rife with new blood as management disperses a good $40 million to free agents.
The Athletics would like to thank our loyal fans for their support over the past season. While we fell just short of our goal of finishing the season with a winning record, we improved substantially over last year's 68-94 season. Next year, I expect not only to have a winning season, but I expect to finish somewhere other than last place in the division.
To that end, we are going to be making some changes in the offseason. Tom Veryzer, who has been outstanding at third base this year, will be entering the free agent market. Tom's spent his entire career with the Athletics, and we wish him the best. Also, Larry Christenson will be leaving us as well. I won't comment on the rumors of his unhappiness in the clubhouse or his displeasure at the amount of playing time we was receiving. We wish him well in his future endeavours. Other changes are in the works, and we will be announcing them as we get closer to the start of next year's season.
For the last five seasons, the ATR has chronicled each and every trade made in the CDL. Today, I chronicle perhaps the most lopsided trade in CDL history and neither of the ATR’s whipping boys are involved. Even more importantly, I look at the biggest deal in CDL history, the question is, are they the same deal? Anyway, let’s finish up the trades made in 1987.
St. Louis receives SS Milt Ramirez and CF Otto Velez.
Houston receives St. Louis’s third round Amateur draft choice in 1988.
This is the trade I was talking about. Houston received NOTHING OF VALUE for two, older, but still talented veterans. I really don’t understand why Houston gave these players away. Velez is still one of the best hitters in the league versus left-handed batters and a good, but errorprone outfielder. Milt Ramirez, a six-time All-Star, is still one of the better shortstops in the league. His defense is poor, but his bat makes up for it. Houston does receive a bit of credit for realizing that 1987 was a lost cause after the trades made early on and the fact that Ramirez lost some of his skills upon arrival in St. Louis, but that still dosen’t excuse giving away good players for nothing.
Winner: St. Louis
Chicago (N) receives CF Mike Anderson.
San Diego receives CF Greg Gross and Chicago (N)’s third round Amateur draft choice 1988.
Another trade, another veteran converted for next to nothing. I guess it must be some form of new economic realities in the CDL. Mike Anderson is a decent outfielder, who gets on base, but doesn’t provide much pop. For his bat, (which was not enough for the Cubs to return to the playoffs) the Cubs gave up an acceptable outfielder with similar skills, but two more years left on his contract in Greg Gross and add a third round pick. Eventually, the continual trading of the draft picks will weaken the Cubs so that they can’t contend. And with the notice that the Cubs are rebuilding next year, that time has come. Nonetheless, once you decide you are nearing the end of the window, it probably pays to make that one last run at the glory.
Winner: Chicago (N)
Pittsburgh receives RF Harold Baines and 3B Tim Wallach.
Boston receives RF Von Hayes, 3B Jim Presley, 2B Jody Reed, SP Jeff Sellers and Pittsburgh’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1988.
Perhaps the single biggest trade that the ATR has ever reviewed. The Red Sox were at a crossroads in franchise history. They could either keep their two big stars, make one final run at the World Series and let both Baines and Wallach walk as free agents or trade the pair for a bunch of prospects to another contender and try to keep the dynasty alive. The Red Sox, with the AL East locked up by May Day, went with the second option.
Harold Baines is perhaps the most dominating hitter in the CDL at the moment. He is only 28, has never hit below .300 in a season and averages 30 home runs and 100 RBI a season. He’s also draws walks and isn’t a bad defensive outfielder. Along with Baines came Tim Wallach. Wallach is one of the best third basemen in the CDL. He is 30 years old, has won an MVP award, has hit over 150 home runs in the last four seasons and is a first rate defender. The first season of the ATR had the Pirates dumping off anyone who resembled a baseball player and now, the Pirates are the favorites to win the World Series after adding two superstars to their team midstream.
In exchange, the Red Sox received four players and a draft pick. Jim Presley is having a career year and is one of the candidates for the AL MVP. However, he is still not one of the elite 3Bs in the CDL, but rather a good one having a season where everything falls in his favor. Von Hayes replaces Baines in Right Field. He has all the skills you look for in a player, he’s a good defender, hits for good power, draws walks…oh wait, he has the skills to hit for a batting average that might just be below his weight. Jeff Sellers is a 20 game winner, in AAA. Seriously, with a 20-4 record and a 2.15 ERA, he should be in the big leagues. Sadly for Sellers, this is probably going to be the best season he ever has as a pitcher. Most years, he should be a good middle of the rotation starter with an ERA around 3.50 or 4.00. Jody Reed should be the starting second baseman for someone next year and the Red Sox will be left with a tough choice between trading the younger, cheaper, less powerful Reed or the older, more expensive Ryno. A tough call for the Red Sox. Finally, the Red Sox received the Pirates’ first round pick, which should be at the end of Round 1.
Normally, I would make a knee-jerk statement that a team getting two superstars can’t be the loser, but the Red Sox did an excellent job adding five quality players for the two departing superstars. The Pirates and the Red Sox both made excellent deals here that help their teams, which is quite amazing considering the enormity of the deal.
Winner: Pittsburgh