Ask BA on the McCarthy/Danks trade

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 29, 2006 5:34 PM CST in News

Jim Callis addresses the McCarthy/Danks trade in his Ask BA column today...

He thinks Danks and McCarthy both project as #3 type starters, although McCarthy should provide more at the major league level the next couple of years because he's more advanced...

Check it out...

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Odd Assessment

He says that Danks has the better changeup and McCarthy the better curveball. From everything I have heard/read, McCarthy's changeup makes hitter look silly, and Danks is supposed to have a big sweeping curve a la Barry Zito. What gives?

by Topgun22 on Dec 29, 2006 6:00 PM CST reply actions

It's weird...

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Danks. He's been the Rangers great hope for a while now and a lot of fun to follow. I'm sad to see him go to another team, in fact.

But what strikes me as odd is this: Wasn't Brandon McCarthy unanimously a more highly regarded prospect than Danks by everyone that debates these things until December 23rd 2006?

I never once saw it considered otherwise. And now, you can probably find it split 50/50 by these same people as to whom they prefer. It's odd... I'm not sure what changed.

by ghostofErikThompson on Dec 29, 2006 6:03 PM CST reply actions

This "analysis" is probably way off, but

it seems like nobody except the White Sox brass and fanbase has thought of him much in the past two years.

Since he's been pitching in the majors, he's not really a prospect anymore, and he didn't exactly sparkle as soon as he hit the major league scene a la Kazmir or Verlander or someone like that, plus he's been stuck in a bullpen role that he was (supposedly) unsuited for. He's somewhere in the grey area between top prospect and successful major leaguer, which isn't a situation that's going to get him a lot of press. Now that he's back in the prospect headlines, he's being re-evaluated on a large scale, and some people are changing their opinions of him based no his spotty (albeit certainly promising) major league record.

And of course it's possible that he never gets out of that grey area, but let's hope... That's how I see it anyway.

by a bebop a rebop on Dec 29, 2006 6:16 PM CST up reply actions

"Didn't exactly sparkle".....oh, really?

From August 30 (vs. the Ranger's, oddly enough) through October 1, 2005, during a pennant race, for a team that would ultimately win the World Series, here's McCarthy's stat-line:

Inngs H R ER HR BB SO ERA

42 2/3 31 8 8 5 6 31 1.69

by tklawless on Dec 30, 2006 9:46 AM CST up reply actions

That was almost a year and half ago.

Then Kenny Williams stuck him in the bullpen, he didn't play so well, and everyone forgot about him.

I'm not saying I'm not excited about him, I'm just saying that's why I think nobody has really thought about him in a while.

by a bebop a rebop on Dec 30, 2006 12:52 PM CST up reply actions

Well

considering a #2 pitcher just got $126 mill, I think the Rangers got a damn bargain with this #3 pitcher.

Texas Rangers: baby step to 2007. Baby step to 2007.

by WyoRanger on Dec 29, 2006 6:49 PM CST reply actions

Hey Adam

I know this is a random question, but if it is not to much of an inconvenience, could you explain to me how they determine the order of the supplementary first-round picks, or just give me a link explaining the whole categorizing of free agents and how that affects the draft. I'm 15 and I ultimately aspire to be a GM, but I'm still trying to understand some of the basic fundamentals, like free agent compensation. And if the link wouldn't be on ESPN INSIDER that would be nice.

"I freakin' love Derosa... What a beast..... what a beastly laugh.." -miles

by dstar442005 on Dec 29, 2006 10:02 PM CST reply actions

I think this answers your question

Quoting Jim Callis:

There has been a lot of confusion about the changes to free-agent compensation in the new Basic Agreement. But one thing that will stay the same is the order of the supplemental choices. It will mirror the order in each regular round, which is determined by the reverse order of the standings. After all of the clubs with a sandwich pick make a selection, teams with additional supplemental picks will make their second selections, again in the same order, and the process will be repeated until all clubs have exhausted their sandwich choices.

Teams failing to sign any first-, supplemental first-, second- or supplemental second-round pick in one draft will get the choice right after the corresponding selection in the next year's draft. (An unsigned third-rounder would yield a supplemental third-rounder in the next draft.) So if the Giants had the 32nd pick in 2007 and didn't sign him, they would get the 33rd choice in 2008. That compensation only extends for one year, so if San Francisco couldn't lock up the 33rd choice in 2008, it wouldn't get the 34th pick in 2009.

Also, if you're interested in following this season's compensation situation, Callis updates it most every week in his "Ask BA" column. Here's the most recent one, updated today:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/askba/263050.html

by Brett Perryman on Dec 29, 2006 10:32 PM CST up reply actions

becoming a gm

well if you're thinking about becoming a gm, hopefully you have your eyes securely closed this offseason. So many teams are going to be burned by the terrible inflated contracts that gms have been throwing out there

by s4ilorguy on Dec 29, 2006 11:50 PM CST up reply actions

I'm not a GM

but I do have a degree in Sports Management, and I have been looking for an unpaid lackey to do my bidding.

Just something to think about is all I'm saying...

by jtts on Dec 30, 2006 10:31 AM CST up reply actions

Haeger above Masset?

Granted, I've only seen him a couple of times, but I don't get it. Every time I saw him, he was struggling to command his knuckleball. Unless he straightens that out, he's the next Steve Sparks.

by austintxhorn on Dec 29, 2006 11:44 PM CST reply actions

thank you very much

zywica.

"I freakin' love Derosa... What a beast..... what a beastly laugh.." -miles

by dstar442005 on Dec 29, 2006 11:53 PM CST reply actions

If you're serious about being a GM

have you thought about trying for some kind of internship with either the Rangers or the Roughriders? (assuming your DFW local) I'll bet someone in the front offices of those organizations could use a lackey, and give you a couple interviews and pointers to help you on your way.

by t ball on Dec 30, 2006 10:22 AM CST up reply actions

heh

I hope they don't investigate his activities here at LSB as part of a vetting process. He made some pretty inflammatory comments a month or two ago.

http://web.archive.org/web/20030210121425/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=tex

by Dustin on Dec 30, 2006 12:37 PM CST up reply actions

heh, youth

I think they'd let it fly, chalk it up to passions of youth...

by t ball on Dec 30, 2006 1:17 PM CST up reply actions

how

do you determine who is a class A or B free agent?

"I freakin' love Derosa... What a beast..... what a beastly laugh.." -miles

by dstar442005 on Dec 30, 2006 12:06 AM CST reply actions

Another Callis link

"The Elias Sports Bureau rankings, used to classify free agents as Type A (top 30 percent at their position), Type B (31-50 percent) or Type C (51-60 percent), came out this week. As part of the new collective bargaining agreement, starting in 2007, Type A will become the top 20 percent and Type B will become the 21-40 percent group, with Type C now meaningless.

While the classification modifications won't take place until next year, the compensation for each group changes immediately. Type A free agents will yield the signing team's first-round pick (provided it's not in the upper half of the first round) and a supplemental first-rounder, the same as before. But Type B compensation goes from the signing team's first-round pick (with the same upper-first-round protection) to a supplemental first-round choice, and Type C goes from a supplemental second-rounder to nothing. Teams still have to offer their free agents arbitration in order to receive compensation."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/askba/262766.html

by Brett Perryman on Dec 30, 2006 1:16 AM CST up reply actions