4. Royals select: Edgar Osuna, LHP, Braves. If the Royals were looking for a good LOOGY candidate,...

4. Royals select: Edgar Osuna, LHP, Braves.

If the Royals were looking for a good LOOGY candidate, say, someone like the one the Rangers found, they went knocking at the wrong door, as Osuna is actually better against right-handers. He pounds the strike zone, but his velocity is only in the 85-88 mph range, and he's also a fly-ball pitcher. That's a nightmare combination in the big leagues. Odds to Stick: 12-1.

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus breaks down the Rule 5 draft
Knowing the Royals, they'll still probably keep him on their roster the whole year. He was nice organizational depth for the Braves, and he could become a good finesse lefty in a few years.

This type of move by a major league club looking for a LOOGY makes me happy that the Braves were smart enough to take a chance on EOF and get Logan in the Vazquez deal -- those are two good LOOGYs, a nice luxury.

9 months ago gondeee 10 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I don’t think that quote does justice to Edgar.

by MatM on Dec 12, 2009 1:32 PM EST reply actions

I don’t even feel like it’s remotely accurate. He throws about 88-91. I don’t think he actually knows anything about Osuna other than what he’s heard 2nd or 3rd hand.

I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Dec 12, 2009 2:52 PM EST up reply actions

Are you looking at peak or plate velocity? It’s either a peak or plate issue or just when each party saw the player. Osuna didn’t touch 90 when I saw him, he hit 88 a few times but he was consistently around 86 but that’s just one game’s worth of readings and I can’t say that he hasn’t thrown harder than that. I know you’ve seen him a lot more than I have but see if you can find out at which point the velocity is being taken, that’s probably the explanation for the difference.

"Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine..."

by jeg on Dec 13, 2009 2:26 AM EST up reply actions

Man, I didn’t even know there was a difference. I just go look at the guns the players or scouts have every now and then and see how close they are to the ones on the scoreboard.

I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Dec 13, 2009 3:20 AM EST up reply actions

With the scouts, your probably seeing plate velocity so my explanation probably isn’t applicable here. In college, our guns would immediately show peak and you had to press a button to see plate velocity and I believe most guns do this. Ask one of them that you make friends with to see both. The difference between plate and peak varies by player and generally the difference correlates to strength and arm action. It’s interesting to compare “quick arm” guys peak-plate differences to leverage pitchers and so forth.

"Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine..."

by jeg on Dec 13, 2009 5:39 PM EST up reply actions

Interesting. When I talk to pitchers about how they feel or how they throw it’s always interesting to hear how fast they say they throw (cause it’s usually very accurate) so I wonder how that relates to all this.

I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Dec 13, 2009 6:21 PM EST up reply actions

85-88?...

wonder if he’d say Ortegano is in the same range?

by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 12, 2009 2:42 PM EST reply actions

He’d be off by 7-9 mph.

I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Dec 12, 2009 2:52 PM EST up reply actions

Set up, and score!

by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 12, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

We never know the real MPH

Guns are rigged everywhere. He is a slop tossing lefty. He might stick, he might suck. Good luck to him—-I never rated him high in my prospect rankings (aggregate coming soon, right?) because slop tossing lefties are a bad bet—-some make it, but so many more don’t. We’ll see.

by cavebird on Dec 12, 2009 11:25 PM EST reply actions