And that is the last time Casey Kotchman will ever be used in the same sentence as Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez.

Not true.

It is almost certain that both Casey Kotchman or Adrian Gonzalez would be better defensively at third base than Miguel Cabrera.

See...only took a few hours to come up with a completely rational use of all three in the same sentence.

Kotchman's crying tears of joy at the news.

No, wait, it's just pus.

How did this guy have an OPS+ of 128 last year?

Casey Kotchman is a better baseball player than I, and that's to say nothing of Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez.

How did this guy have an OPS+ of 128 last year?

He had an OPS+ of 119 in 2007. I think the better question is what happened in the intervening years. Casey must make some pretty powerful eye pus. At least I hope that was really the problem.

Last year was likely a bit over his head, but he could be a plus defensive first basemen who is about a 115 OPS+ offensive player (when pus free) going forward. Not a bad guy to have around. As long as you don't ask him to run anywhere. I love him, but the guy is Molinaslow.

We thought Casey Kotchman would become a good hitter when he got LASIK surgery, and that didn't work. Apparently it may require LASIK and eye pus surgery. Maybe Bill Hall will be the next to get his eye pus looked at.

1. His defensive numbers have been kind of average the last two years (still steady, but made less plays). Any thoughts?
2. Not sure how much of his success last year was better vision versus a lucky BABIP. What was his ZIPS projection going into 2010, pre-infection? (No longer available via that thread.)

He's very good around the bag as a receiver but didn't strike me as anything special as far as range is concerned last year. He was nothing compared to 2003 Travis Lee and at best even with the defensively diminished 2005-06 version.

He's very good around the bag as a receiver but didn't strike me as anything special as far as range is concerned last year

That was basically what I saw when he was an Angel. He just can't move much, but he handles whatever he can get his hands on. He's also very smart on the field. Things like letting a low, lazy pop-up hit the ground so he can get a faster lead runner off the base, or positioning himself for cut offs so he can get a trail runner- if there's a play to be made, he will usually make it.

It is almost certain that both Casey Kotchman or Adrian Gonzalez would be better defensively at third base than Miguel Cabrera.

Which is really depressing given both Kotchman and Gonzalez throw leftie.

Matt LaPorta is 27????
He's hit .313/.400/.553 in the IL (roughly .262/.328/.399) over that time (and OPS of 160), and yet in a 1000 MLB PAs he's hit just .238/.304/.397 for an OPS+ of 93...

by way of comparison when Kotchman hit .372/.423/.558 at Salt Lake, league was .283/.350/.452, for an OPS+ of 144, but that was Kotchman's best year there and just 220 PAs, the next year he hit .286/.370/.439 against a league average of .278/.350/.442 (OPS+ of 105)

LaPorta has better raw minor league numbers than Kotchman, adjusting for league context LaPorta has MUCH better minor league numbers than Kotchman.
Kotchman's overall MLB OPS+ of 98 is not much better than LaPorta's 93.

Kotchman's got a better glove, but I still think there's a good chance that LaPorta has a much better bat (even if he has not shown that yet at the MLB level)

Think the idea is that LaPorta will go to Columbus, he's got an option left.

Okay, I missed the eye pus meme, what's that all about?

Matt LaPorta is 27????
He's hit .313/.400/.553 in the IL (roughly .262/.328/.399) over that time (and OPS of 160), and yet in a 1000 MLB PAs he's hit just .238/.304/.397 for an OPS+ of 93...

Usually, I'd feel ok calling a player a bust after he's had as much time in the majors as LaPorta. However, when discussing people who really, really mashed AAA and had very high pedigrees, I usually won't totally give up on them until they enter their decline phase. Basically, I think I'd keep giving LaPorta a chance until he's 32, is what I'm saying.

---

I think Kotchman is for real. He was a really touted prospect, had a great pedigree, and had horrid luck health-wise. I'd be surprised if he ever hits 30HR in a season, but I'm totally confident in his ability to be a Mark Grace first baseman going forward.

Eye pus for beginners.

That's it? 1 year, 3MM?

Unless Ryan Howard is VERY close to coming back, why didn't the Phillies sign this guy as insurance for Howard's recovery?

Yes, I know the Phils signed Thome, but good God, this would have been a smart sign.

Why would Kotchman sign with the Phillies to start for 4-6 weeks and then be relegated to the bench? I'm sure his plan with the one year deal is to show that last year was for real so he can get a good contract next season. He's not going to ge a shot to do that by getting 10 ABs per week from May onward.

Personally I think Kotchman's 2011 was a fluke. He won't be godawful like he was in 2010, but he's going to regress quite a lot. His BABIP was crazy high while he was still pounding the ball into the ground.

1. The market really doesn't like Kotchman if all he is getting is $3MM. That doesn't look to change SIGNIFICANTLY next year;

2. It's not entirely clear that Ryan Howard will be back that quick;

3. The Phillies are a serious WS contender, which would give Kotchman a chance to win a ring;

4. If 3 wasn't important to him, Kotchman could have engineered his contract so that he could demand to be traded or released after (say) July 1st.

Matt LaPorta is the least field savvy player I have ever witnessed in a Tribe uniform. He makes Manny Ramirez look like a damn genius on the basepths, plus he struggles to throw the ball proper places in situational plays. In short, the Indians should have tested him for mental deficiencies (he did have a nasy concussion in the Olympics).

1. The market really doesn't like Kotchman if all he is getting is $3MM. That doesn't look to change SIGNIFICANTLY next year;

2. It's not entirely clear that Ryan Howard will be back that quick;

3. The Phillies are a serious WS contender, which would give Kotchman a chance to win a ring;

4. If 3 wasn't important to him, Kotchman could have engineered his contract so that he could demand to be traded or released after (say) July 1st.

1. Kotchman's was good last year but still has the stink of being unbelievably terrible with the M's in 2010 and not much better before that. If he could repeat his 2011, he could be in line for a Laroche-esque multiyear contract. If he gets pigeonholed as a backup 1B/pinch hitter type, he's probably not going to get anything more than a one year deal.

2. There's no guarantees about when Howard will be ready to return, but it's probably more valuable to be in a situation where he can parlay a good year into a decent extension offer. That's certainly not going to happen in Philly.

4. I've never heard of that kind of clause on a major league contract. Minor league deals can have opt-outs, but I don't think the Phillies would want to sign Kotchman to fill in for and backup Howard if he can demand a release or a trade if he's playing well on July 1st. It just wouldn't be worth it to give someone they want on the team as a fill-in/bench player that kind of leverage.

Usually, I'd feel ok calling a player a bust after he's had as much time in the majors as LaPorta. However, when discussing people who really, really mashed AAA and had very high pedigrees, I usually won't totally give up on them until they enter their decline phase. Basically, I think I'd keep giving LaPorta a chance until he's 32, is what I'm saying.

See Alex Gordon. He mashed in the high minors every opportunity he got from 2006-2010, but it wasn't until last year that he put together a major league season commensurate with his MLEs.

Kotchman, on the other hand, only had one really big minor league season, and it was driven by a .370 average and a .390 BABIP. He repeated the high minors the next year and had an unimpressive season (just 800 OPs in Sal Tlay Ka Siti). So Kotchman didn't quite establish the kind of level of performance Gordon did.

See Alex Gordon. He mashed in the high minors every opportunity he got from 2006-2010, but it wasn't until last year that he put together a major league season commensurate with his MLEs.

Kotchman, on the other hand, only had one really big minor league season, and it was driven by a .370 average and a .390 BABIP. He repeated the high minors the next year and had an unimpressive season (just 800 OPs in Sal Tlay Ka Siti). So Kotchman didn't quite establish the kind of level of performance Gordon did.

! It was actually Gordon who I had in mind while writing that post!

Looking back, it would seem my memory of Kotchman (and his status as a top prospect) was kinder than the reality, though really not by all that much. Scouts were high on him, and Sickels gave him an A- in 2005. He wasn't on par with Gordon, but I think it's reasonable to project Kotchman as a decent starting 1B going forward.

He wasn't on par with Gordon, but I think it's reasonable to project Kotchman as a decent starting 1B going forward.

From 2004-2010 Kotchman posted a .277 BABIP. Last season it soared to .333 despite no reduction in his obscenely high GB% and no increase to his LD%. His foot speed has been compared to a Molina; do you really think he's a good bet to post a .300+ BABIP going forward while hitting the ball on the ground 55% of the time and only hitting line drives 18% of the time? Even in his flukey 2011 season he had a .116 ISO. He is simply not a good enough hitter for first base.