Waiver Claim: David Carpenter
December 3, 2012 at 6:24 pm by Ethan Purser under Atlanta Braves
The Braves claimed right-handed pitcher David Carpenter off of waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
Last week was a big week for the Braves. The team inked free agent outfielder BJ Upton to a 5 year, $75.25 million deal on Thursday, filling the hole in center field left by Michael Bourn. On Friday, the Braves also made waves in the trade market by sending Tommy Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for reliever Jordan Walden. Shortly after the trade, the Braves announced that David Carpenter had been claimed off waivers from the Red Sox. While this move definitely pales in comparison to the others, Carpenter has an interesting background and could play a role in the bullpen in 2013.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Carpenter in 2006 as a catcher out of West Virginia University. He spent portions of 2006 through 2008 behind the plate before he was moved to the bullpen during the 2008 season. Since being moved to the mound, he has produced solid numbers across all levels of the minors, posting a 3.02 ERA with 215 strikeouts and 78 walks in 202.1 innings of work, allowing only 181 hits and 12 home runs during this time.
After being traded for Pedro Feliz in 2010, Carpenter made his Major League debut in 2011 with the Houston Astros. He pitched 27.2 innings, posting a 2.93 ERA/4.18 FIP with 29 strikeouts and 13 walks, seven of which being of the intentional variety. He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in a ten-player deal last July. He pitched 32.1 innings between the two clubs, posting an 8.07 ERA/4.86 FIP with 31 strikeouts and 16 walks, allowing 51 hits and five home runs. Along with Mike Aviles, Carpenter was sent by the Blue Jays to the Red Sox as compensation for the hiring of John Farrell. The Red Sox designated him for assignment on November 20th.
The 6’2″, 215-pound righty brings two pitches to the table: a mid-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider. When all is well, the fastball features plus to plus-plus velocity with heavy arm-side run into the hands of right-handed hitters; other times, the fastball is straight with very little movement. Carpenter has trouble locating the fastball on a consistent basis, frequently missing high and to the arm side or low and to the glove side. Due to the speed of the pitch and the late movement it often generates, Carpenter can induce swings and misses within the strike zone with the offering. The slider features heavy tilt and sweep when located down and away to right-handed hitters/down and in to left-handed hitters, profiling as a swing-and-miss pitch. He runs into trouble when he misses his spots with the offering, as the pitch tends to hang and become slurvy with much softer break when thrown to the arm side. Manny Machado took advantage of this here.
Using Brooks Baseball’s Pitch F/X database, Carpenter’s fastball has generated 95 whiffs out of 433 swings over his 60 innings in the majors, good for whiff/swing of 119 (using PitchIQ Score, where 100 is average). His slider, which has generated 59 whiffs out of 145 swings, has a whiff/swing of 118. The data suggest that the two pitches profile as swing-and-miss offerings.
Mechanically, Carpenter has a quick and live arm with a deep, elbowy arm action. He tends to fly open in his delivery, which causes his arm to drag behind the rest of his body, limiting the accuracy and efficacy of his pitches—specifically his slider. Pitchers who fly open will frequently miss high and to the arm side, as their arm must rush in order to catch up to the rest of their body. He lands on a very stiff front leg, cutting off his pitches and losing valuable length on the front side. All-arm throwers not unlike Carpenter will also frequently exhibit severe head-jerks as they deliver the ball, which often has a negative effect on overall control.
Going into Spring Training, Carpenter will presumably compete with Cory Gearrin for the final right-handed spot in the bullpen. Given Gearrin’s performance in 2012, his track record with the club, and his effectiveness against right-handed hitters, I would put my money on Gearrin winning the spot, although a strong performance from Carpenter in the spring could turn heads*. All in all, having a superfluous power arm when constructing a bullpen is a good problem to have, as it opens up a bit of flexibility in the event that a reliever is traded in the coming weeks—a possibility Ben explored Friday.
*For the record, Gearrin and Carpenter both have one option year remaining.
Loading ...
Definitely feel like something big is coming soon.
am i wrong, or is the pitcher from the clip not carpenter?
bert,
You’re right, the first pitcher isn’t Carpenter. I was referring to the second homer he hit that night, which was a little bit later in that video. Sorry about the confusion, I’ll try to clear that up. I think there’s a clip of just that home run somewhere.
Change has been made, and the link has been updated to show the home run to which I was referring. Thanks for catching that!
Good eye, B-Fart
no sweat! i was just interested in watching his deliver and then was like, “i don’t think this guy is 6’2″ 215″.
So the big question is what are we going to do about a leadoff hitter? Prado, Simmons, and Upton all swing too much to hit leadoff.Actually I think the best fit is Heyward and no way he goes there. I think Atlanta should consider widening their search to ALL OF that can hit in that spot. If it is a RF move him over to LF. If it is a CF move him or Upton over to LF. I just do not want to see Constanza thee everyday lineup which is being considered now by the organization.
Constanza is being considered as the everyday LF and leadoff hitter? Where have you seen this?
In Fredi’s eyes. In his eyes!
Frank Wren said he was considering “inside options” which are Evan Gattis or Jose Constanza according to Mark Bowman
Bourn: 4.15 P/PA
J.Upton: 3.78 P/PA
Fowler: 3.99 P/PA
Victorino ~ 3.70 P/PA
Constanza: 3.91 P/PA (limited action)
Prado: 3.93 P/PA (also had a .359 OBP, less than half the Ks as Bourn, and the highest BA w/ 2 strikes in all of baseball, I believe)
Given the rumored “options”, Prado, to me, seems like the best option for leadoff. I left off Simmons because the sample size is small (just like Constanza, though) but his P/PA is pretty low. With experience (and position in the order) comes patience. I’m in 100% agreement with FW on not being quick to pull the trigger on a trade (and overpaying) or sign a FA (and overpaying). Hell, go to spring training, give Nick Ahmed an invite, get him in a few games, let him open some eyes, maybe Arizona will get sweet on him. Like Wren said, sometimes the only thing the young guys are lacking is opportunity. Maybe Francisco will WOW everyone and win the 3B job – then Prado can stay in LF. Maybe Cunningham will open some eyes….who knows. No reason to splurge on guys you’re not sold on just for the sake of signing a name and spending money you have.
I’m pretty sure that Wren was just being nice by including Constanza on that list. Either that or being blackmailed by the Frediot.
I think Prado is not a fit though because his OBP is made up moreso of his hits and not his ability to draw. If Prado can continue to work walks like he did career high 58 walks he is not really a bad option but he was usually around 40 walks. If Prado could get it up to 65+ he is a viable option then. However then the team is in a similar position prior to Bourn. Not many really SB threats. Yes Jason can steal 20-30 and Upton can steal 30-40 but he also gets caught 10-15 times.
Don’t have link but Mark Bowman quotes Wren saying he has option of waiting till spring and seeing who of Francisco, Constanza, Gattis, and Cunningham is ready to step up. If they don’t work out get a midseason replacement.
I do agree with FW strategy.
Wait and look around till good deal will come.
In the meanwhile I’d just like to sign some RH 3B/LF to platoon with Francisco in case things don’t come to you.
Any of you have some idea on what kind of WAR will produce a combo like Francisco/R.Johnson or Francisco/Keppinger for example?
PS: please do not kill me. R.Johnson and Keppinger are just cheap options to check if that strategy is efficient in term of (salary/WAR) and improve the team (3B WAR 2012 vs forecast 3B WAR)
Reed Johnson has a 117 wRC+ vs. lefties, and Francisco has a 103 wRC+ vs. righties. They will probably combine to add average defense (Johnson a little above average, Francisco a little below). Considering Francisco has made the improvements asked of him, and looking at his numbers when he starts, he may post something closer to a 110 wRC+ or better versus righties, but that is purely speculative based on what I’ve heard about his progression. I think a fair number for their shared production would be around 2 fWAR.
I used Johnson rather than Keppinger because we apparently have an offer out to Johnson and the Yankees want Keppinger. That’s probably the last team we want to bid against for a part time player.
Victorino to the Red Sox, 3/$39. Huh.
If I read Cot’s baseball contracts website correctly, Justin Upton, McCutchen, and Jay Bruce signed their extensions at approximately the same point in their careers (service time). I believe Heyward is at that point in his career. Heyward compares favorably if not better than all 3. Those 3 received 6 year deals for 51 mil. What are the chances Heyward accepts that contract if offered?
Uggla for leadoff. He’s a walk machine.
It’s pretty sad that if you just looked at Uggla’s 2012 numbers, he would actually be a suitable fit from the group to hit leadoff haha. And he’s a pretty decent baserunner albeit not fast by any means.
Uggla was quite an enigma last year. This average was in the toilet almost all year, but his obp was more than decent. He hit in the middle of the order most of the year and yet his RBI and runs scored numbers indicate he wasn’t exactly a key cog in the offense. Its very difficult to project what he might do in 2013. Is his power going to come back in 2013? If he was batting leadoff would his obp numbers stay the same?
His IFFB% was also unsustainably through the roof. Turn those into line drives and he’s got more doubles. His HR/FB was also the lowest it’s ever been. The trick will be changing those things while maintaining an approach that will still draw a lot of walks.
Any possibility we could work out a deal with the Red Sox for Jacoby Ellsbury? He would fit wonderfully at the top of the lineup and LF or CF.
I doubt the Red Sox find a way to deal him. His value is pretty low, he only has one year remaining on his contract, and I believe he is a Boras client. The Braves’ offer would be pretty small, and he probably gives the Sox more value on their roster than what they’d receive. Atlanta says no in an Ellsbury/Delgado trade, and Boston says no with anyone beyond that.
Fredi Gonzalez 2014 option picked up.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
“@braves GM Frank Wren announced that the Club has exercised its one-year option on the contract of manager Fredi Gonzalez (now signed through 2014).”
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! FREEEEEDDDIIIIIIIIIIOOOTTTTTTT!!!!!
congrats fredi on fooling the braves organization!!!
at his current rate of progression if we give fredi a contract extension through 2020 he might develope into a replacement level manager by the last year or two of the contract.
Yeah I honestly didn’t think Fredi was that bad last year. I mean, the majority of major league managers bunt too much and make less-than-optimal usage of their bullpen. I don’t know that Fredi is any worse than the pack. Unfortunately, I don’t think there are 30 Joe Maddons out there that major league clubs are willing to hire.
marlins and rays interested in francisco?
just got off the phone with bobby cerasoulo(sp) and he heard that the marlins were offering stanton for francisco, he said it could happen
I call bullshit. Big Bob doesn’t know how to operate a phone.
ahhh viva you are very wise to find the one inaccuracy in my story
I swear if we somehow get Dee Gordon AND rely on him as our left fielder, I’m going to fly to Atlanta and shave Frank Wren’s head.
Braves are interested in Schierholtz? I hope not. Maybe Scheurholz thinks it’s his son, the failed minor leaguer.
I choose Choo.
I’m just gonna say this. I’ve been thinking back to a lot of comments Wren has made over the years and his remark about having internal options means only one thing…
He refuses to go to the negotiation table at a disadvantage. By admitting that the Braves want and need a LFer he’d essentially be giving the other team full advantage in the deal making. By saying they have internal options he’s making a point to let other GMs know that while he may like and want what they have he’s not going to get taken advantage of.
Yeah, the Braves have internal options, but that’s the last thing they want to see happen.
That’s a good point. FW has hardly ever steered us wrong. I trust that next year’s team will be better than this past year’s team, and considering the years Uggla and McCann had, it shouldn’t be all too hard to do.
I would like to see a trade for Choo. He seems to fit everything we want from our LF-to-be and I think the Indians are realizing that his market is not so big. If the Indians sign Swisher, I’d expect Choo to be pretty cheap. He’s the perfect OBP/speed guy to complement BJ’s power and speed.
That being said, if Simba continues to hit, I don’t really care who they play in LF as long as he’s good defensively.
There are a couple of knocks against Choo. One, he doesn’t hit lefties very well at all (Think he had a .199 avg. against lefties this past seson). Two, this, I believe, is his last contracted season. I’ve never liked trades for rental players.
Apparently, the Twins are making Ben Revere available even though they’ve already traded Span. Wonder if Wren will get in on that…
Revere (24) of Minnesota is available for pitching and the phillies and Braves are pursuing him. He would fill the needs for the Braves, can play CF as well as LF, would lead off (40 sb, .294/.333/.342) and is locked up through 2017.
Nevermind… POS Phillies got him…
That was quick.
As good as Wren has done this year, it’s kind of annoying that he didn’t get in a bidding war for Revere. Of course, we don’t know what all happened other than the Phillies gave away Worley and a minor league prospect.
Seems like we could have matched and exceeded that deal.
Apparently he was a high prospect, as unfortunate as it is, at least they didn’t get Bourn.
Revere was not worth giving up much for.
Why? Why would we want to trade top prospects for a light hitting average fielder who would most likely have one of the lowest OBP’s on the team? A bidding war for this guy? The Phils traded a mid rotation starter who is under team control for 5 years, and the #69 (booyah) prospect in baseball, Trevor May. His K/BB numbers are pretty amazing pre-2012 and he was the Phil’s #2 prospect. I think they got fleeced for a younger Juan Pierre. His game looks like smoke and mirrors, with some flashy SB numbers outshadowing his limited value. The Twins actually got more in return for Revere than they did for Span, which is pretty crazy.
You really wanted to trade Delgado and Sims/Gilmartin for a speedy singles hitting left fielder? Cause that would’ve been our equivalent.
I have to agree, a lot of fans just want another name. I do want to grab a lf who could lead off but I really don’t want to trade the farm just to make a trade. I wouldn’t say he is all smoke and mirrors but he isn’t worth what we would have had to offer.
In acquiring all their aging hitters and now Revere over the past few years, Amaro has basically traded every good prospect he had to try to grasp to one more year of contention. Revere has a career OPS over .650 including just 33 XBH in over 1000 MLB ABs and rates average at best defensively. I am laughing at this desperation move and look forward to the Phils being unable to bring up a quality minor leaguer for quite some time.
I never said he was the greatest thing since sliced bread or even insinuated that. All I said is that I believe Wren should have at least tried at the guy. As far as offering Delgado/Gilmarin… we have a surplus of pitching as it is. Basically 2 ML ready arms (only 1 of which will be used until Beachy comes back) and 2 or so high level prospects. I guess we could just sit on our ass and do nothing with them and be stuck without a true lead-off hitter.
As much as Bourn sucked ass toward the end of the seasons he played in ATL, he still was a major catalyst for the offense. We can all hope all we want that Prado/Simmons can provide that same kind of spark, but hope doesn’t get you very far in the real world.
What is with Wren and the Twins??
Goddammit Twins, you’re trading BOTH your CF’s? And both into our division?? For what some might say is questionable return??? WTF
Questionable return? haha
Twins received the #50 and #69 prospects–both starting pitchers–as well as Worley, a mid rotation starter.
Yeah, why are you guys obsessing over Ben Fucking Revere? Dude can’t hit a double to save his life, and he’s a decent fielder, but nothing great.
ya i had no idea about the real value, was just trolling, hoping for some trade analysis. thanks :)
well done
Considering these absurd going rates in the trade market for outfielders who might be able to lead off, at this point I say pencil Prado in for leadoff. His OBP has been above .350 each of his full years except for 2011, which I do believe was an outlier.
Get the most acceptable RH hitter (that you can at a reasonable price) for either 3B or LF and slot Prado into the other. Then grab your 2 extra bench bats and get ready for Disney World.
Reed Johnson = slower Ben Revere with higher OPS for zero prospects.
Also, who gives a shit about having speed at the top of the order? The leadoff guy is sure to lead off only once in the game, where every other at bat is adjacent to the pitcher’s spot. I don’t understand the obsession with getting a fast leadoff guy, and I haven’t even read The Book.
What are some thoughts out there about where we might go next? Upton, Choo, Willingham?
And what would you be willing to give up for each of those guys?
And what would an optimal lineup look like for each of them?
Damn this is fun. Winter meetings, ya gotta love it.
I agree. Jeter has been a great leadoff hitter in his time, and he’s far from speedy. I think Prado profiles about like Jeter in that spot. Both great 2 strike hitters, and both good baserunners despite sacrificing some speed.
Heyward probably makes the most sense hitting leadoff if you aren’t looking to maximize his value, but obviously that isn’t going to happen.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see this lineup go all LaRussa on us and bat the pitcher 8th and Simmons 9th, particularly when Hudson or Medlen pitch.
Unless we’re getting Choo (FA in ’14) or J Upton (almost worth it for marketing alone), we should stick w Fat Juan-who will hopefully not be so fat come March. He costs us zero prospects and zero more dollars on the payroll while. 900+ OPS in the DR. That’s nothing to shake a stick at.
I would be interested in knowing what it’d take to get Dexter Fowler. I’d probably be willing to give up either Delgado/Tehran for him … but it would depend on what else it’d take.
Yup, heard he’s in incredible shape down in the DR. Could be a nice surprise for us come ST.
Rockies asked for Minor AND one of Delgado/Teheran. No thanks. He’s probably best in a Rockies uniform, so you can’t blame them for pricing him out of most everyone’s range. I’ve met Dex before, and he’s awesome, but they want way too much.
I’m warming up to the idea of Juan being our 3B. The coaches gave him a regimen to follow over the offseason, which he has apparently been sticking to. He has been one of the best players in the DWL, and at this point, you can’t not give him a chance. Let’s see what they guy’s got.
Totally agree that that’s way too much. I wouldn’t even give them Minor, by himself.
Disappointing.
Willingham and Morneau are being shopped by the Twins.
I don’t know who is going to play OF for them this year, but I can’t blame them for loading up on as much young pitching as they can.
Hey, the A’s had literally zero outfielders last off season up until they signed Coco.
Don’t continue to discount Gattis 31 BBs, 46 Ks, in 272 ABs in minors in 2012, (389 obp) which has been a consistant rate for him over 3 years in minors. 1.015 ops, .333 ba, with runners on in 2012. In winter league currently in top 5 for HRs and RBIs, 8th for slugging and 15th for ops. He has won several games with late inning hits. Has moved up to #10 prospect on one of the publications recently. Clutch, strikes out little for a power hitter, gets walks. 27 hrs in 429 ABs so far this calendar year.
I think it’s safe to say he will get his first legitimate shot to compete for a spot this spring.