Via MLBTR and Chad Jennings, we’ve learned the obvious: the Yankees are seeking a right handed hitting outfield bat for the bench. Reed Johnson was once again mentioned, as was Johnny Gomes. The other name that came up between the two posts was Rocco Baldelli.
Before going too much farther into this, I feel I should throw in a disclaimer of sorts. I’ve always had a soft-spot for Baldelli. He’s Italian and he played high school ball against my cousin. I was definitely a fan of his when he came up with the Rays, and my father and I used to joke that when he eventually realized his potential and became a free agent, he’d obviously become a Yankee. As we all know, though, Baldelli’s career hasn’t quite worked out as well as we though it would, mostly due to injuries. Anyway, onward and upward…
The case for Baldelli is, like Reed Johnson’s case, based largely on the fact that he’s pretty good at hitting left-handed pitching, which is what you want out of a right-handed hitting bench outfielder. For his career, Baldelli has posted a line of .295/.346/.485/.831 in 610 plate appearances against lefties. As a vs. LHP caddy for Brett Gardner, he could be pretty valuable. There are, however, some problems.
First, there’s simply the issue that he’s only played three games in left field, one in 2008 and one in 2009. He’s played the majority of his time in CF (4.2 UZR/150 in 397 games) and RF (-14.3 UZR/150 in 41 games). The sample sizes for all three positions are relatively small. I think, however, it’s safe to assume that if he were to play left field, Baldelli would probably be in the middle of his CF numbers and his RF numbers. In limited playing time, he’d only need to not be a butcher in LF.
The other glaring negative against Rocco is his mitochondrial disorder that prevents him from recovering from activity quickly. We can spin this as a positive in that he won’t get much time in the field if he’s a strict platoon partner with Gardner. He may also get a sporadic pinch-hit appearance against a real tough lefty if Curtis Granderson can’t right himself vs. LHP. However, what makes this such a big negative is the fact that if an injury occurs, Baldelli would most likely not be able to step in and play every day, like other bench outfielders could.
As it always does, the decision to sign Baldelli–or Johnson, or Gomes, or Nady–will come down to cost. Last season, Baldelli made just $500,000 in his time with the Red Sox. The Yankees could probably offer a similar deal to Rocco, maybe including some incentives. There hasn’t been any sort of market for him thus far in the offseason, so the Yankees would hold a great deal of leverage in negotiations. For a low base salary ($500K-$1MM?), with some PA incentives thrown in, Baldelli could be a cheap, effective prescription to the Yankees’ bench OF issues.
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12 Responses to Rocco a Possibility?
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TIQ IQ
Ok, say they sign him. Your OF looks like Swisher, Granderson, Gardner, Hoffman, Baldelli. If either Swish or Granderson go down, you’re still taking a big, big risk with whatever trio you’re throwing out there. One of them is virtually guaranteed to be Gardner (serious questions about his bat) and the other is either totally unproven (Hoffmann) or has a serious, incurable disease that will prevent him from playing long stretches.
If he’s on a minor league deal, definitely grab Baldelli, but for real depth, a safer bet is Reed Johnson.
I agree.
Both Johnson and Baldelli have injury issues. Beyond Johnson’s foot fracture, he has had chronic back problems since he was with the Jays. Baldelli, of course, has his mitchondrial disorder. In the end, though I would prefer Johnson, I wouldn’t mind Baldelli, either.
Reed Johnson definitely doesn’t have a clean bill of health, exactly the reason he’s still out there and is (likely) cheap. That said, the chance of Reed Johnson playing well in over 100 games is tenthousandfold that of Baldelli.
But would Rocco be expected to play 100+ games?
No, nor should he. But you need a reliable contingency plan if Swisher or Granderson were to go down. It was an arbitrary number thrown out, but the point is that you cannot expect extended periods of time playing Baldelli, which is one of the main purposes to depth–if worst case scenario arrives, can I at least get the guy to play? Who knows with him.
But it’s also worth noting that another option in case of injury would more than likely be available by trade.
Baldelli is a guy that I also was hoping the Yanks could get as a FA but, now I am not so sure if we should have him take-up a roster spot.
There are so many good and bad things about those that are out there yet. Do we really need one of them?
We have a couple guys in the minors we should look at in ST. Also, we have a few guys playing the infield that are not major league gloves but, they can hit very well. Why not try some of them in the OF, they wouldn’t be ready for this year but, it would open up a way to reach the big game if they can cut it.
Who are these players you speak of?
I love Baldelli but can we really expect the old Rocco numbers from a guy that can only play sporadically? Sadly, I think that the Sox made the right decision not resigning him. I have yet to see an oft-injured kind of guy come to the Yanks and stay healthy. Given Nick Johnson’s injury profile, we should be leary of another injury risk.
Rocco has played the equivalent of a little more than one full season (217 games) over the past five years (2005-2009). $500K is the most I’d give him, and even then I’m not sure I want such an unreliable player on the team. As it is, Nick Johnson is pretty unreliable so do we really want to add another constant injury risk on top?
Matt Imbrogno wrote in his article about Rocco Baldelli that: “The other glaring negative against Rocco is his mitochondrial disorder that prevents him from recovering from activity quickly.” According to Jerry Crasnick, who wrote on Jan. 26th regarding Baldelli: “The condition has since been identified as channelopathy, a protein irregularity that can lead to chronic fatigue.
Baldelli, now 28, takes quinine supplements to avoid leg cramps and pulls and help his muscles operate more efficiently. He understands the importance of eating properly, getting plenty of rest and monitoring his daily routine in a way that eluded him at age 21.”
Channelopathy is no picnic but at least it’s not as bad as mitrochondrial disorder. With that in mind, I’m hoping the Yankees offer him a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. I’m hoping his health improves to where he can play at the major league level again. He’s worth a shot.