Aaron Laffey NOW
by Freneau on Oct 11, 2011 3:28 PM EDT
in Kansas City Royals News
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PrintYet another twist to the epic Royals-Mariners rivalry.
The Royals have designated Jesse Chavez for assignment and claimed LHP Aaron Laffey. Let us be the first or the second Royals blog to welcome Laffey to the organization with open arms. Overall, this is an incredibly minor move that it is hard to generate strong feelings about. I guess we have depth and in some hideous Would You Rather scenario, I'd rather have Laffey than Chavez.
Laffey was once a starter of some note, and as you can see below, he essentially posted a league average ERA for three seasons (2007-09). He's utterly hittable however and his numbers as a reliever haven't really improved. However, for those looking for a Jimmy Gobble fix, he might satisfy.
| Year | Age | Tm | W | L | G | GS | IP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 22 | CLE | 4 | 2 | 4.56 | 9 | 9 | 49.1 | 100 | 1.338 | 9.9 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 4.6 | 2.08 |
| 2008 | 23 | CLE | 5 | 7 | 4.23 | 16 | 16 | 93.2 | 101 | 1.431 | 9.9 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 1.39 |
| 2009 | 24 | CLE | 7 | 9 | 4.44 | 25 | 19 | 121.2 | 96 | 1.619 | 10.4 | 0.7 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 1.04 |
| 2010 | 25 | CLE | 2 | 3 | 4.53 | 29 | 5 | 55.2 | 88 | 1.617 | 10.0 | 0.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 1.00 |
| 2011 | 26 | TOT | 3 | 2 | 3.88 | 47 | 0 | 53.1 | 103 | 1.650 | 11.3 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.43 |
| 2011 | 26 | SEA | 1 | 1 | 4.01 | 36 | 0 | 42.2 | 97 | 1.641 | 11.4 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 1.50 |
| 2011 | 26 | NYY | 2 | 1 | 3.38 | 11 | 0 | 10.2 | 135 | 1.688 | 11.0 | 0.0 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 1.20 |
| 5 Seasons | 21 | 23 | 4.34 | 126 | 49 | 373.2 | 97 | 1.539 | 10.3 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 1.24 | ||
The interesting question remains how Laffey was ever effective at all. It's not like he was hit lucky - he wasn't. He gave up a zillion baserunners, was fairly homer prone, and still kinda survived. Just luck with sequencing?
Finally, I wonder who will come up with the more puntastic headline for his move, the Star or the team website? (I ask not disparagingly, merely in acknowledgement of the widespread and rather pointless predilection for puns in sports headlines.)
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sad thing is that may be true...
and even sadder is that we’d be better off if he actually believed it
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Oct 11, 2011 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
obviously the ERA means more than
the 5/4 K:BB ratio that he put up in New York
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bhindepmo
Chairman, The Melky Cabrera Seasoning Sauce. It's great on your outfield!
NY is a tough place to pitch.
He is bound to put up good numbers in KC.
by royal_in_cincinnati on Oct 11, 2011 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions
He pitched in a pennant race
if you can’t judge players by ERA and their Baseball America 2006 scouting ratings, what can you judge them on?
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bhindepmo
Chairman, The Melky Cabrera Seasoning Sauce. It's great on your outfield!
by BHWick on Oct 11, 2011 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Don't forget,
he's trending up
10.5 K%
11.0 K%
11.1 K%
12.2 K%
this year he’ll be all the way up to 13%!
/Daytonmetric’d
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Oct 11, 2011 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions
well...if you're going to mock his numbers in that huge 10 inning sample size...
i’d like to point out that he’s impossible to hit out of the park
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Oct 11, 2011 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
So....
Kila was bounced because DM just couldn’t let the great Jesse Chavez go but then when Laffey is out there he pounces!
by royalrevenge on Oct 11, 2011 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
He will be our ace
Lo Danger Ox
Crab Yarmulke
Crime Horse
by tiquanunderwear on Oct 11, 2011 3:36 PM EDT reply actions
I'm cool with this as long as this doesn't end up being the roster spot needed to protect Brandon Sisk
You may know me as NYRoyal.
I love the Freudian typo substituting "blow" for "below"--don't change a thing.
Sporadically musing on the Royals at both Royals Review and Royalscentricity, pop culture at Inconsiderate Prick, SVU at Munch My Benson and on Twitter at Old Man Duggan
I'm sure Laffey is awesome and just needs to be landing on the front of his foot upon release
Sporadically musing on the Royals at both Royals Review and Royalscentricity, pop culture at Inconsiderate Prick, SVU at Munch My Benson and on Twitter at Old Man Duggan
by Old Man Duggan on Oct 11, 2011 3:55 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The new pitching coach will fix him in a completely different way
And I’m sure it will involve a new long-toss program.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 11, 2011 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I have a feeling that front-foot landing is the new market inefficiency and a new organizational philosophy
Sporadically musing on the Royals at both Royals Review and Royalscentricity, pop culture at Inconsiderate Prick, SVU at Munch My Benson and on Twitter at Old Man Duggan
by Old Man Duggan on Oct 11, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
They'll even teach it to positional players so that they're ready in a pinch
You can never have too many MITCHes
Sporadically musing on the Royals at both Royals Review and Royalscentricity, pop culture at Inconsiderate Prick, SVU at Munch My Benson and on Twitter at Old Man Duggan
by Old Man Duggan on Oct 11, 2011 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
It looks like he's survived...
… by having a consistently high GB%. There’s a little bit of value in that.
by Discolando on Oct 11, 2011 3:55 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
In addition to that, a low HR/FB%
7.8 for his career. Soft-tossing lefty magic? FIP- likes him more (dislikes him less?) than xFIP-
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Oct 11, 2011 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Need to replace Chen's "jokes" with something.
Might as well be knock-knock jokes from 8-year-old kids.
Q: What Mexican food do Royals players enjoy most?
A: Moose tacos.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
it is pretty cool for Tim Collins that
the competition they’re bringing to face Tim Collins is a guy with a worse K:BB ratio
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bhindepmo
Chairman, The Melky Cabrera Seasoning Sauce. It's great on your outfield!
by BHWick on Oct 11, 2011 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This guy seems like he kind of sucks
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
pitches to contact & less than stellar K:BB
and we’re wondering what DM sees in him?
by P. J. Karasek on Oct 11, 2011 4:39 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The new, sabermetric-friendly Dayton Moore
just wanted to bring in a replacement level pitcher to prove that they are, in fact, freely available.
by Gopherballs on Oct 11, 2011 4:49 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Negotiation leverage against Chen
“I mean, we want to bring you back, Bruce, but we’ve only go so much money and we already have this left-handed, not-throwing-harder-than-87-mph, can’t-really-strike-many-people-out pitchers….”
Kila's slash for Apr 20 to May 4, 2011, right before he was sent down: .276 / .344 / .448
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Oct 11, 2011 6:38 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
OT
Where has Good ole’ DaytonSucks been?
Lo Danger Ox
Crab Yarmulke
Crime Horse
by tiquanunderwear on Oct 11, 2011 6:58 PM EDT reply actions
Another strange move.
If you are not going to offer Getz or Francis a contract, why DFA Chavez?
I guess I just don’t understand the process.
Go Royals!
Cost next to nothing
26 year old lefty with 4+ years major league experience that cost nothing. Needs to cut walks, and the Royals think the new pitching coach (to be named later) can improve the team’s walk rate through better mechanics. Good move – worth a look.
He's got a 100 ERA+ in 4 ML seasons and he is 26
I’d pay money for that. Not much, but some. A waiver claim on him is worthwhile.
by BlueEyes_Austin on Oct 11, 2011 9:00 PM EDT reply actions
++For Sure
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Oct 12, 2011 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions
A brief aside
Is ERA or ERA+ a good stat to evaluate how good a pitcher is?
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions
no...but it's pretty much in line with his FIP/WAR numbers
he’s been a decent pitcher and isnt a bad guy to have around as a 6 or 7 starter or insurance out of the pen
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Oct 12, 2011 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't mind acquring him as long as he doesn't become a problem on the 40-man roster
But I wouldn’t say that I’m comfortable with him as the 6th or 7th starter. 6th and 7th starters usually end up making several starts in a season. I don’t think there’s reason to believe that he’s better than SOS/Mazzaro/Mendoza. After his rookie season (2007), his FIP and xFIP as a starter have been genuinely bad. There’s a reason Laffey isn’t a starting pitcher anymore. He really shouldn’t be starting anywhere in the majors. Now if you’re saying that he’s another crappy pitcher like SOS, Mazzaro and Mendoz to throw in the mix for SP depth, then I guess I agree. I have no problem with this move (as long as it doesn’t end up leaving someone like Sisk unprotected), but I wouldn’t call him “average” or “decent”. I think he’s a replacement level pitcher.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
i think we've gone through this already....
but the 40 man really isnt going to be a problem this offseason it doesnt seem like
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Oct 12, 2011 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Not much of a problem
I was thinking that Chavez’s spot was going to go to Brandon Sisk, who should be protected from the Rule 5 draft. Now maybe Sisk will be protected after Francis comes off the 40-man. But that of course would require Moore to not acquire anyone else for the 40-man before the Rule 5 draft. Of coruse lots of things could happen between now and then (trades, FA signings, etc.). My point is that if Sisk isn’t protected and Laffey is on the 40-man, this is a mistake. If not, then I’m fine with acquiring this random replacement level pitcher.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions
im sick of mitch...he serves no purpose
let dyson be the 4th OF…he at least brings something to the table in his elite defense and baserunning skills
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Oct 12, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Who should the 4th bench player be?
With a 12-man pitching staff, that leaves 4 bench spots. One each will be a catcher, a utility infielder and a utility outfielder. Should the remaining spot go to an IFer? I don’t think there are any decent candidates for a second IFer. I think I’d rather have Mitch (at the less than $1M he’ll get in arbitration) than a really crappy IFer or someone like Lough. Dyson is a good defensive replacement and pinch runner, and that’s about it. Mitch would be better for actually making a start to give an OFer a day off.
Now, the Royals may be stupid enough to put Cain on the Royals bench, which would make Maier genuinely superfluous.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
What the hell, dude?
Have you seen MITCH pitch?
Sporadically musing on the Royals at both Royals Review and Royalscentricity, pop culture at Inconsiderate Prick, SVU at Munch My Benson and on Twitter at Old Man Duggan
by Old Man Duggan on Oct 12, 2011 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I'd rather have D-Rob and Bianchi on the 40-man than Laffey
By a lot.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I imagine there will be a trade or signing
to take care of the 25th spot, but it should probably be a corner guy with a little power.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
To an extent
ERA+ being set to league average at 100 is a useful piece of information.
by BlueEyes_Austin on Oct 12, 2011 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Except that ERA (and ERA+) don't isolate the pitcher's performance very well
There’s a whole lot of defense (and a little relief pitching) in there.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Bullcrap
The Royals lead the league in walks issued, so they pick up a dude with a lifetime WHIP near 1.6? And a BB/9 near 4? This is a joke.
Just like we made it a goal to lead the league in baserunning efficiency/stolen bases, we need to lead the league in fewest walks issued. Every season. Aaron Laffey is not the answer. He is the antithesis of what the Royals need.
He better not make the opening day roster.
David
you're getting mad about picking up a guy who's young....
been league average…..on a waiver claim? for fucking free?
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Oct 11, 2011 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Daddy Dayton Made
The bad man go away.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Oct 12, 2011 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Totally agree
I can’t believe Dayton Moore announced in the press conference “Aaron Laffey is THE answer, he will make the opening day roster, or my name isn’t Dayton F—-ing Moore!”
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Oct 12, 2011 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
I can't hate the move for now
He’s not terrible and is probably a better LOOGY than Collins for now, not that either are that good. Here are their splits against lefties in 2011:
Player…IP…K/9…..BB/9…K/BB..HR/9….K%…….BB%…..AVG…BABIP…LOB%…FIP…xFIP
Collins..29…8.28…8.90…0.93…0.61…20.0%…21.5%….208….260….78.8%…5.04…5.65
Laffey…26…4.85…3.12…1.56…1.04…12.5%…8.0%……240….253….88.1%…4.83…4.69
Plus he’s still young enough that he may “turn” the proverbial corner and turn into a legitimate bullpen guy.
If our other SP pickups were lottery tickets, the Laffey pickup is more like sifting through used bet slips on the floor of the at the racetrack.
In fact, the more I think about it,
seem like this move is just GMDM trying to prevent Yost from over-using Collins in 2012 like he did in 2011. It always goes back to protecting those former Braves.
OK, he's a lottery ticket, I'll buy that
and he’s not expensive or anything. He’s likely to suck, but hey, give him a shot.
My question is where?
Seems like the seven-man bullpen is already in place: Soria, Crow, Holland, Collins, Wood, Teaford, Adcock. If they want to send down Adcock and replace him with Laffey, groovy. If they want to make Crow a starter and replace him with Laffey, swell. Nothing wrong with having two lefty relievers.
Anyway, we certainly didn’t lose anything by releasing Chávez, so no big deal anyway.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
I don’t think either Adcock or Teaford are locks for the bullpen. Laffey could make the bullpen over either of them. I’m not saying it is likely, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
No, actually, I read somewhere
that the Röyals were considering sending Adcock to AA and making him a starter. So that would be a hole you’d have to fill.
"All the boys think she's a guy
She's got crazy Frenchy eyes."
Herrera and Sisk are also good candidates to fill that spot
You may know me as NYRoyal.
by Scott McKinney on Oct 12, 2011 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions
I do believe they said Herrera would have an opportunity to make the opening day roster,
completely independently of anything that happened in his three days here (which one would think is common sense, but odder things have happened).
He’s one of the AFL guys, right?
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the war room!
by KeepItCopacetic on Oct 13, 2011 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions
I think its just a depth move
He’s a candidate for Omaha’s staff, and is a potential lefty reliever/spot starter if needed in July.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
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