Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Phil Coke: Meet the new Tigers
Before we can get too deep into any analysis of the trade, we should probably look first at who will be joining the Tigers in 2010 -- barring any further trades.
To me, former Diamondbacks starter Max Scherzer was the big take. With more than a strikeout per inning, he has a lot of potential in the rotation. And that's where he'll be for right now, I'm sure.
We have Daniel Schlereth, also from the D-backs. He was a 2008 draftee and will undoubtedly join the bullpen.
From the Yankees, we have left-handed reliever Phil Coke. He played an important -- but not necessarily high profile -- role in the New York bullpen in 2009.
And finally, there is center fielder Austin Jackson, also from New York. He is described as a raw, but talented player, who has a solid glove and some speed.
Taking away the personalities and the familiarity of the Tigers traded -- starter Edwin Jackson and center fielder Curtis Granderson -- my first gut feeling is that this trade might turn out to be pretty good. But we're not going to know for sure until we find out just how good -- or not -- the blue chip prospect Austin Jackson is.
All the players will cost the Tigers substantially less than the players they traded, and they all come with several years of club control, which has a value in its own right.
But what might they bring to the field?
Austin Jackson
The 22-year-old right-hander was named 2009 rookie of the year in the Triple-A International League. He was ranked the Yankees' top prospect heading into 2009 by Baseball America. Most thought the Yankees happily would have him patrolling their outfield by 2010; of course those people forgot the Yankees prefer to buy All-Stars.
Like I said, he's said to have some speed. He lacks for power, though his speed helps provide some extra-base power. Looking a bit closer, he had a 21.2 percent line-drive rate this season, that could definitely translate to the major leagues. His career numbers vs. left pitching (.810 OPS) and irght pitching (.736) were not dramatically different, no platoon necessary there.
However, he also struck out 130 times in 527 at-bats. He has had a high batting average on balls in play all throughout his professional career, but even by those standards .392 is frighteningly high for a .300 average and .106 isolated power. He could be in for a downright frightening year in the majors if those translate as poorly as expected.
If he take the steps and lives up to billing, this trade will be looked at as a decent one in the long run. If not, I think a lot will never forgive Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski for it. Mr. Jackson has a lot of pressure riding on him.
Max Scherzer
Like I said, this part of the trade excited me. There is always the caution that some people are not fond of his mechanics. But the 25-year-old also struck out 174 batters in 170 1/3 innings for the D-backs in his first full major league season. That's a pretty good start.
The Bill James (at Fangraphs) projections put him at 194 strikeouts in 180 innings in 2010; while ZiPS (with discussion at BBTF) has him at just 138 in 140 innings.
If he remains healthy, I would expect him to be better than Edwin Jackson would have been. Actually, Scherzer could be downright exciting as he grows.
Daniel Schlereth
Schlereth, 23, another lefty, was the Diamondbacks first-round pick in 2008 (26th overall.) Like the Tigers' Ryan Perry, he was a college pitcher who made it to the majors relatively quick. He struck out 22 batters in 18 1/3 innings and walked 15. His ERA looked high, but his FIP of 4.02 wasn't too bad at all. If he finds more command, he could turn out well in the Tigers' bullpen.
But he had Tommy John surgery as a high schooler and like Scherzer, some are not fond of his mechanics either.
He had 40 strikeouts and 17 walks in 27 2/3 innings in the minors. He also had a groundball to flyball ratio of 1.93 and a 0.98 ERA.
Phil Coke
He's 27-year-old left hander with just one full season under his belt in the majors. He struck out 52 with 20 walks in 56 innings. His ERA of 4.50 was actually worse than his FIP of 4.68. But the Bill James projections at Fangraphs were not overly concerned. It put him at 3.86 ERA (4.03 FIP).
Kind of an uninspiring pitcher all-around.
