Tag: Jordan Zimmermann

Potential MLB Trade Targets Who Could Be True Franchise Game-Changers

The free-agent market is yet to develop, but it’s only a matter of time until the dominoes will start to fall. When they do, expect the trade market to take shape as well.

Front-of-the-rotation pitchers Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields headline this year’s crop of free-agent starters, while Pablo Sandoval and Cuban prospect Yasmany Tomas stand out among hitters in a class that’s thin on impact players.

With just a few franchise-caliber players on the market—players that a team would plan to build around—it wouldn’t be surprising if there were a flurry of trades made this offseason. After all, most teams can’t afford or will miss out on one of the few elite free agents in this year’s class.

With that said, here are three potential trade targets who could be game-changers for any franchise.

 

Jason Heyward, RF, Atlanta Braves

Heyward had a solid offensive season, batting .271/.351/.384 over 649 plate appearances, but his 11 home runs marked his lowest total since breaking into the major leagues in 2010. The 25-year-old also scored 74 runs and swiped 20 bags in 149 games, and he led all Braves players with a 5.1 fWAR.

Heyward’s WAR was largely tied to his Gold Glove defense in right field, as he led all qualified major leaguers at the position in both defensive runs saved (32) and ultimate zone rating (24.1), per FanGraphs.

The Braves approached Heyward back in 2013 about an extension worth less than the five-year, $75 million contract they recently gave to B.J. Upton, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com. However, both parties haven’t discussed a potential extension since then.

After talking with Braves president of operations John Hart, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution doesn’t believe the Braves will try to extend Jason Heyward this offseason. Heyward is set to make $8.3 million after hitting a few incentives in his contract his past season, O’Brien tweets.

The trade market for Heyward will come down to whether teams believe he’s open to signing an extension before hitting the open market next winter. And if they’re willing to offer him an extension in the first place, then it’s fair to assume they also believe he can re-discover the power that produced 27 home runs in 2012, rather than the 25 he’s totaled over the last two seasons.

Even if that doesn’t happen, we’re still talking about a 25-year-old with a four-win floor moving forward. The fact that Heyward is a year away from free agency might hurt his overall trade value, but I’d still expect a team to give up two quality young players for the right fielder, with one possibly being a cost-controlled big leaguer.

 

Cole Hamels, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies

Hamels, who turns 31 in December, will make $96 million over the final four years of his contract, not including a $20 million vesting option for 2019. He also has a 20-team no-trade clause and nine-team block list in his contract, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. However, as of now, the only team known not to be included on either list is the Chicago Cubs, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Hamels has made at least 30 starts in seven consecutive seasons while eclipsing 200 innings all but once during that time frame. During his nine-year career with the Phillies, the left-hander has pitched to a 3.27 ERA (3.48 FIP), 8.53 K/9 and 2.26 BB/9 in 1,801.1 innings, good for a 34.4 fWAR.

Unsurprisingly, Philadelphia is asking for a flattering return on Hamels in the form of “at least three top prospects,” two of whom are capable of contributing in the major leagues, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.

That said, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is prepared to wait and see how the market for free agents Max Scherzer and Jon Lester unfolds before deciding whether to deal his ace left-hander, per Salisbury.

Cole is still a really valuable player for us. He’s going to help us win baseball games. As I’ve said before, we have him under contract and he kind of traverses the timeline and the goals that we, at least in our mind, have set. He can still be pitching for us when it’s time for us to be contending.

“He’s really kind of in the sweet spot and there is no reason to do anything with him because he’s going to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, we believe, over the next five years of his contract. There’s no pressure to move him, no necessity to do it and, frankly, I’m not dying to move him. If there is an opportunity that is going to make our organization better off then you have to consider it because we’re considering everything.

Hamels is the only trade candidate—unless the Marlins fail to extend slugger Giancarlo Stanton—worth the king’s ransom the Phillies are demanding. However, teams aren’t going to sell the farm, literally and figuratively, to get him this early in the offseason, which is why Amaro will patiently wait for Scherzer and/or Lester to come off the board.

 

Jordan Zimmermann, RHP, Washington Nationals

A strong case can be made that Jordan Zimmermann, not Stephen Strasburg, is the Washington Nationals’ ace.

Zimmermann, 28, went 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA (2.68 FIP), 8.20 K/9 and 1.31 BB/9 over 199.2 innings this past season, capping off his career-best season with a no-hitter on the final day of the regular season. The right-hander’s 5.2 fWAR ranked second among National League starting pitchers, trailing only Clayton Kershaw (7.2).

Zimmermann has a 3.00 ERA in 122 starts over the past four seasons, and he’s now made exactly 32 starts in three consecutive years. Meanwhile, the right-hander dominated the San Francisco Giants in Game 2 of the NLDS this year, allowing just one run on three hits in 8.2 innings.

Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post thinks the Nationals should prioritize working out a long-term contract extension with Zimmermann during the offseason. However, the two sides aren’t engaged in discussions at the moment, tweets James Wagner of the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Kilgore also notes that any deal the Nats offer Zimmermann will likely be the richest in franchise history, topping the seven-year, $126 million contract given to Jayson Werth prior to the 2011 season.

Zimmermann, a two-time All-Star, will make $16.5 million in 2015 and hit the open market after the season, so any team interesting in trading for the right-hander will need to believe it can lock him up with a long-term contract.

According to CSN Washington’s Mark Zuckerman, the Nationals would only trade Zimmermann if they received “a boatload in return,” which he describes as “at least three really good, young, big-league-ready players.”

A trade involving Zimmermann seems unlikely, especially with one year remaining on his contract and Washington poised to contend in 2015. However, that could change if the Phillies decide to move Cole Hamels, which in turn would define the going exchange rate for an ace-caliber pitcher.

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Jordan Zimmermann Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz, Speculation Surrounding Nationals P

Washington Nationals star pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is due for a big salary in the final year of his contract, and the team is reportedly shopping the two-time All-Star.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has the latest buzz on the Nationals’ negotiations with the Chicago Cubs from Tuesday:

Multiple sources said Tuesday the Cubs are in talks with the Washington Nationals to acquire right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, a two-time All-Star who has averaged 200 innings over the past three seasons. 

And he’s just one of several All-Star caliber pitchers – along with All-Star catcher Russell Martin – the Cubs believe they can acquire if their strategy plays out according to plan, said one source.

However, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune refutes that information:

Sporting News’ Jesse Spector weighed in the idea of Zimmermann being traded:

Zimmermann is due $16.5 million in salary for the 2015 season, the last of a two-year deal worth $24 million, per Spotrac.com. That means he can test the waters in free agency next winter.

If the Cubs or any other suitors are keen to acquire him, they would do well to establish a foundation that keeps Zimmermann with his new club for the long haul.

An exceptional rotation featuring Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Tanner Roark affords Washington the luxury to improve the roster elsewhere by dealing a premium asset in Zimmermann.

Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan argues that Zimmermann has been the best of all those quality pitchers, though:

Should Chicago land Zimmermann he would bolster a pitching staff in dire need of a dependable arm. The Cubs dealt away previous ace Jeff Samardzija to the Oakland Athletics this year, so Zimmermann would likely be on the mound for Opening Day.

From the intel in Wittenmyer‘s report, it appears Chicago is going to be aggressive and bring in as much new talent as possible.

Zimmermann is an encouraging start, coming off a season in which he had a 14-5 record and a 2.66 ERA.

A promising young nucleus is in place in the Windy City, with several top-tier prospects waiting in the wings in addition to players like Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo. Thus, there are several selling points for the Cubs to deploy as they try to culminate their lengthy rebuilding process into a tangible turnaround.

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Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants: Keys for Each to Win NLDS Game 2

When San Francisco Giants starter Jake Peavy toed the rubber in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, he was winless in five postseason starts with an abysmal 9.27 ERA and a fitting 1.925 WHIP.

Well, Peavy and his teammates walked off as winners thanks to his efforts, generally solid relief pitching and timely hitting from Joe Panik, Buster Posey and Brandon Belt. It was a huge win for the Giants.

Next up is a Game 2 matchup between Nationals ace Jordan Zimmermann (14-5, 2.66 ERA, 1.072 WHIP) and veteran Giants hurler Tim Hudson (9-13, 3.57, 1.231) Saturday afternoon.

Here are some keys for each team to take a critical Game 2.

 

Keys for the Nationals

Make Tim Hudson Pay for His Mistakes

In the final month of the regular season, Hudson went 0-4 with an 8.72 ERA and a .357/.400/.531 slash line for opposing batters. It wasn’t pretty.

In digging a bit deeper on his player card at BrooksBaseball.net, we see that almost every pitch in his repertoire failed him.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with what those numbers indicate, it is the batting average on balls that were put in the field of play. What they tell us is that far too many batters squared up Hudson’s offerings over the last month.

There is a certain amount of luck involved, of course, but the bottom line is that Hudson isn’t locating the ball very well. If the Nationals can jump on his mistakes, it could mean an early lead. And with the quality of the Nationals’ pitching staff, early leads are usually held.

 

Keep Joe Panik Contained

It goes without saying that Zimmermann has to keep Posey, Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval in check during Game 2. For as dangerous as those three can be, however, it will be as important to keep Panik off the basepaths.

He’s been a terror.

Starting on Aug. 2 through the end of the regular season, the second baseman put up a .338/.367/.414 slash line with eight doubles and 25 runs scored. In the wild-card matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he went 3-for-5. And during Game 1 on Friday, he went 2-for-5, driving in one run and scoring another after a huge triple to lead off the seventh inning.

He’s been so good, he’s set a franchise record.

Another thing to keep in mind: In three games at Nationals Park during the regular season, Panik slashed out at .417/.462/.667. Notably, he had a big three-run home run that helped end a 10-game winning streak the Nationals had been on in August.

It won’t just be on the Nationals’ starters, though, as Panik can start a late-inning rally, just as he did in Game 1. It is imperative that the left-handed hitter is off the basepaths throughout the contest.

On the bright side, Panik is 0-for-3 vs. Zimmermann, so if the big right-hander can replicate his past success, the Nationals already have an advantage.

 

Zimmermann Must Keep the Big Guys Down

We’ve already touched on the need to keep Sandoval, Posey and Pence contained, but two of them are of particular interest to Zimmermann.

Of the three, Sandoval and Pence have given Zimmermann fits over their careers. In 20 at-bats, for example, Pence is slashing out at .400/.455/.700 with two home runs and four RBI. Meanwhile, Sandoval has a .462/.500/.538 slash line with a double in 13 at-bats.

The bottom line is this: If Zimmermann can limit the damage from the players who have historically given him trouble, he will breathe life into the crowd and give confidence to his teammates.

 

Keys for the Giants

Find a Way to Get to Zimmermann Early—and Often

On Aug. 23, the Giants got off to a 2-0 first-inning lead thanks to a two-run home run by Pence. After that, Zimmermann retired 23 of the next 28 hitters and was in control throughout.

“He didn’t get rattled at all (after the homer),” center fielder Denard Span noted, via CSN Washington’s Mark Zuckerman. “If anything, it seemed like he just focused a little bit more and buckled down and kept them right there.” 

It is what he’s done for the majority of his career.

For the Giants to find success, they need to keep the pressure on. That means working the count and not letting Zimmermann take control of an at-bat. It is easier written than accomplished, to be sure, but it is what must be done.

 

Keep Denard Span and Anthony Rendon off the Basepaths

Attempting to keep the No. 1 and No. 2 hitters in manager Matt Williams’ lineup off the bases is common sense. After all, the fewer run-scoring opportunities the middle of the Nationals’ batting order has, the better it is for the Giants.

Doing it against Span and Anthony Rendon takes on added value, as Thomas Boswell of The Washington Post explains:

In the postseason, top-of-the-order, all-fields hitters with high on-base percentages, low strikeouts, stolen base speed, bunting guile and hit-and-run creativity often have a better chance to cope with the pitching aces of playoff teams than free swingers who can be neutered by pure swing-and-miss stuff. …

… Both are better base runners than they are sprinters; they get fine jumps, read balls in the air accurately and cut bases sharply with no waste.

They are just dynamic ballplayers.

And since Hudson no longer has “swing-and-miss stuff” he is going to have to locate effectively and change speeds if he hopes to keep them off the bases. For the season, Span scored 94 runs and had a .355 on-base percentage while Rendon scored 111 times and finished with a .351 OBP.

If the Giants can jump on Zimmermann early and hold the top of the order in check, they could very well head to AT&T Park up 2-0 in the best-of-five series. If not, the Nationals may even the NLDS at a game apiece and gain some needed momentum for Game 3.

 

Unless otherwise noted, statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference. Game information is courtesy of MLB.com

Follow @MatthewSmithBR

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Jordan Zimmermann Signs 2-Year, $24 Million Deal with Washington Nationals

With a Jan. 17 deadline to avoid arbitration, the Washington Nationals and star pitcher Jordan Zimmermann were able to agree upon a two-year contract extension worth a total of $24 million, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

Per Joel Sherman of The New York Post, Zimmermann’s 2015 salary will be significantly higher than what he makes in 2014.

Not only did re-signing Zimmermann prior to the arbitration deadline allow the Nats to secure him on their own terms, but it also ensured he won’t be arbitration eligible moving forward since he will become a free agent following the 2015 campaign.

Despite the fact that Zimmermann and the Nationals were unable to work out a long-term extension, he told Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post that he is still interested in negotiating something more substantial moving forward.

If a year down the road or after this season if there’s a long-term deal that works out for both sides, we’d be happy and willing to do it. This is just a small little deal that takes us away from the arbitration. Now I can focus on baseball and not have to worry about the other stuff.

The 27-year-old Zimmermann is coming off the best season of his Major League Baseball career after going 19-9 with a 3.25 ERA, a career-best 1.09 WHIP and a career-high 161 strikeouts. Zimmermann was named to his first All-Star team in 2013, and he also finished seventh in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

Zimmermann will be a key part of what might be the MLB‘s best starting rotation in 2014. Along with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and the newly acquired Doug Fister, Zimmermann gives Washington a stable of arms that will be extremely difficult to beat.

The Nationals entered the 2013 season with high expectations, but they fell way short by finishing 86-76 and missing the playoffs. Despite its struggles, Washington is once again expected to contend in 2014.

According to Bovada, the Nats are listed as the third-likeliest World Series winner behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers at 10-1.

If Zimmermann and his fellow starters perform as well as expected, then Washington could quite possibly enjoy a huge bounce-back season.

Although the Nationals front office simply kicked the can down the road by re-signing Zimmermann to a short-term deal, it at least allows the focus to shift toward making the playoffs and potentially winning the World Series in 2014.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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Davey Johnson Takes Over As Washington Nationals Manager

When Jim Riggleman stunned the Washington Nationals universe Thursday by quitting on a red-hot team that just went over the .500 mark after a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners that was their ninth with in 10 games, it left the team without a manager heading into Chicago for a game the next night. 

Washington solved that by naming bench coach John McLaren the interim manager. McLaren once managed the Mariners for almost an entire year and was replaced by Riggleman, who was his bench coach at that time. 

What irked many Washingtonians was the perceived selfishness of Riggleman, who grew up in the area and knows of the city’s struggles to maintain a baseball team the past 50 years. The Nationals, who have been here since 2005, are the third team since 1961. 

Riggleman was upset at the series of three one-year contracts he signed in 2009.

He admitted he was no Casey Stengel shortly after he quit the Nationals, which is easily seen by his three previous managerial jobs. Late in 1992, he was hired by the San Diego Padres and had a .385 winning percentage in his three years.

After losing that job, he would get hired immediately by the Chicago Cubs. He lasted five years with them, posting a career best .472 winning percentage. Though the Cubs finished second in 1998, that would be the best a Riggleman-led team would ever fare.

He was hired again by the Mariners for 90 games in 2008 but won only 36 contests. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo hired him to oversee a team beginning to grow up.

Current Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta had been continuing the job inaugural manager and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson started but was fired midway through 2009. 

Riggleman, who now says he will never sign a one-year contract again, was the bench coach and ultimately promoted. The young Nationals grew up under his watch as Rizzo deftly added key veterans into the mix. 

Not every Rizzo move has been golden. This season alone has seen veterans Rick Ankiel spend most of his season injured while Adam LaRoche was hurt in spring training and was shelved for the year after gutting it out for 43 games. But the rest of the team has given every indication the future is bright.

Rookies like second baseman Danny Espinosa and catcher Wilson Ramos join second-year shortstop Ian Desmond to give the team a great middle in their defense that could rule baseball one day. Espinosa and Ramos are considered front-runners for this year’s Rookie of the Year award.

They helped the team set a club record for most consecutive errorless innings this season already, which was accomplished with Gold Glove third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on injured reserve. Zimmerman is only 26 himself and is the face of the franchise.

Michael Morse, a former shortstop, has filled in seamlessly for LaRoche and is a full-time player for the first time in his career. Their play has helped a team that really has not hit the baseball as well as expected this year.

Jayson Werth came to Washington this year after signing a seven-year contract for $126 million but hasn’t hit much and has had to help the team in other areas. 

The pitching has been the key. The staff was the last in baseball to not go at least five innings, and the back end of the bullpen is one of the best in baseball thanks to Tyler Clippard, Todd Coffey and Drew Storen. Storen is just 23, and Clippard is 26 years old.

The staff is expected to get even better when phenom Stephen Strasburg returns from Tommy John surgery next year to help 25-year-old Jordan Zimmermann give the Nationals an exciting top of the rotation. 

So Riggleman’s act caught all by surprise. It was a move that could cost him future jobs after watching him bail on his hometown team. His loyalty will be questioned from now on, let alone his devotion and true priorities if another organization ever considers hiring him. 

Rizzo said he wanted to hire someone immediately. The name most bandied about was Davey Johnson.

His winning percentage with the New York Mets is .588, putting Johnson among the city’s greatest managers: Joe McCarthy, Miller Huggins, John McGraw and Billy Martin are the only managers in New York with better winning percentages. 

Johnson has seen and done it all as a player and manager since he arrived to the majors in 1965. He has won Gold Gloves, gone to All-Star games and won a pair of championships as a player.

As a manager, he has won a title and been to five League Championship Series while winning 1,148 games in 12 seasons. He joined the Nationals as an adviser in 2009 and has not managed since 2000.

Some are concerned if he is healthy enough to do the job, yet Johnson has not indicated yet what his interests are so far beyond this season. 

His having spent many years in the area might have given reason for him to take the job. Johnson attended Johns Hopkins University and played eight years for the Baltimore Orioles. He also managed the Orioles for two years and was named Manager of the Year before resigning in 1997. The Nationals also have other men in their organization to consider. 

Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone managed both the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds after a playing career that accrued a world championship, four All-Star games and seven Gold Gloves over 19 years. 

Then there is one of Johnson’s best friends that may have been considered for the manager’s job.

Ray Knight is a former player who also won a championship and appeared in All-Star games. He replaced Johnson as manager of the Reds in 1996 and had to deal with the team’s eccentric ownership until leaving after 1997. 

Knight has been a broadcaster for the Nationals since the team started in Washington and has had a front row seat on the teams growth. He often says Zimmermann is the best fielding third baseman since Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, a position Knight knows expertly because he replaced Pete Rose at the position as a player in 1977. 

Now that Johnson has the job, there will be the question if Knight will be lured to the bench to be by his friends side again like he was with the Reds in 1995.

Knight truly bleeds the Nationals red, white and blue, so he might be the perfect hire because he is familiar with the players and knows how to give the teams network the ultimate amount of access to the team without invading the players privacy. 

It is a hot job to take right now. Not just because the team is on fire but because the young players future could one day bring Washington their first World Series title since 1924. 

The team has also showed a toughness that belies their youth. Less than 24 hours after Riggleman left the organization, the team faced the White Sox and beat them 9-5 in 14 innings.  

Business as usual for the Nats, something Johnson wants to keep going.

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MLB Pitchers on the Mend: 10 Hurlers Trying To Make Comebacks in 2011

It’s a fickle life in Major League Baseball. Here today, gone tomorrow is a phrase often used when referring to ballplayers who had a quick run of success before seemingly losing it altogether, or players felled by injuries who were unable to make it all the way back.

The stories of great fame and then injury go back many years in baseball, especially among pitchers. Dizzy Dean was a classic example.

Known as the Ace of the Gashouse Gang for the St. Louis Cardinals, Dean was the last pitcher to win 30 games in the National League, reaching that mark in 1934.

However in 1937, Dean was struck by a line drive off the bat of Earl Averill, during that year’s All-Star game, fracturing his left big toe.

When Dean attempted to come back too soon after the injury, he altered his motion, which hurt his throwing shoulder, thereby robbing him of his famous fastball. Although Dean continued to pitch for several more seasons, he never approached his earlier success.

Another example was Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass. Between the years of 1968-1972, Blass was one of the better and more durable pitchers in the National League.

He amassed four 15-win seasons in five years, his best in 1972, when he posted a 19-8 record with a 2.49 earned run average, earning him a runner-up finish behind Steve Carlton in the NL Cy Young award balloting.

Blass also won two games for the Pirates in the 1971 World Series, including the clinching Game 7 victory in which Blass threw a four-hitter in Game 3.

However, in 1973, Blass slipped to 3-9 with a 9.85 ERA, and was in the minors the following season. Blass completely lost the ability to throw strikes, and his control never returned. He was out of baseball by 1975.

This season, there are quite a few pitchers who are attempting to either come back from injuries, or trying to salvage a mess of a season the year before.

We rank the top 10 pitchers who will be attempting a comeback to glory for the 2011 MLB season.

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2011 NL East Pitching Preview: the Stephen Strasburgless Washington Nationals

Coming to fans everywhere, the latest installment of Washington D.C. baseball…National Treasures: The Missing Strasburg. Starring the D-list celebrities of the fantasy baseball world: Livan “National League Harlot” Hernandez, Jordan “Not That Zimmerman” Zimmermann, and featuring Jason Marquis and John Lannan as trusty sidekicks.

Looking back at last year’s chapter of National Treasures, it seems like not many will buy into the 2011 version. 

There might be fantasy relevance with the Nationals’ pitching this season with Tom Gorzelanny doing his best President Obama impression. Coming to Washington D.C. from Chicago, Gorzelanny is a strikeout pitcher with two sub-4.00 ERA seasons under his belt.

It’s likely he’ll be towards the beginning of the Nationals rotation, but the question remains if Gorzelanny will be used primarily in relief like in Chicago each of the last two years. I think he is meant to stay in your league’s free agency this year, but in super deep or NL-only leagues, there is some potential.

From Florida to San Francisco to Washington to Arizona to Colorado to New York and now back to Washington, Livan Hernandez certainly gets around the National League. 

Usually bringing his ghastly ERA and bloated WHIP, Hernandez will have another crack at it with the Nationals this year. He actually had one of the better seasons of his career last year, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 22 quality starts.

However, he only managed to win ten games in 2010, and had one of his lowest K/9 ratios (4.8). I can’t see Livan in many 2011 lineups, especially with age not helping as he enters his 20th season in the majors.

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Revisiting the 2007 MLB Draft: Three Years on, Who Came Out on Top?

The 2007 first year player draft was very pitcher-heavy, but with the exception of the No. 1 overall selection, some of the biggest names to come out of it were actually position players.

A total of 18 pitchers were called in the first round alone, led by Vanderbilt graduate David Price, but there was good overall depth in the draft, especially through the first three rounds.

How many GMs do you think are out there right now still kicking themselves that Jason Heyward fell to No. 14? How about the fact that one of the brightest pitching prospects in the game, Jordan Zimmerman, didn’t go at all in the first round? Did Florida hit the jackpot in Mike Stanton with the 76th overall selection?

With just one week to go until the 2010 draft, Bleacher Report looks back to see who came out on top this time three years ago.

Major League success and experience weighs the most here, with Minor League contributions and potential assessed from AAA down to single-A.

As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts.

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