Saturday, October 5, 2013

Season 13 Free Agency Preview

Season 13 of the Kenny Powers World is under way and the offseason Free Agency period has begun! It's time to take a look at this season's free agent class.  There aren't any superstars, and the caliber of offensive players is fairly weak.  So, it's not the best free agent class ever, but there are still some players who will be solid adds to any roster.  Without further adieu, here's the top 10 Free Agents of Season 13!

1. Pascual Nunez, 29, 2B
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: .811 Career OPS
Salary Over/Under: 5 years, $58 million

Possible Destinations: Vancouver, Cincinnati, Memphis, Burlington

Signed with Chicago (AL) - 4 years, $27 million

Nunez gets the nod as the top free agent this offseason.  He's not a superstar, but has a good power bat, and decent speed.  His top attribute is his tremendous fielding ability, as a possible gold glove caliber 2B or CF.  His age, 29, is a big plus as he'll have several quality seasons still to come.  Given the lack of quality free agents on offense, we rank him #1.  

2. Douglas Telford, 32, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.57 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $50 million

Possible Destinations: Chicago (AL), Pawtucket, Texas, Portland

Signed with Memphis - 5 years, $73 million

Telford is a hard throwing righty with elite level control and good splits.  He has two excellent pitches in his arsenal as well.  He's done excellent in a wide variety of parks, and would make a great #2/#3 type and would be a staff ace for some.  You could easily argue he should be ranked #1.  

3. Ron Wilkinson, 30, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.96 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $44 million

Possible Destinations: Cincinnati, Nashville, St. Louis, New Britain

Signed with Cincinnati - 5 years, $62.5 million

Wilkinson has good control, is excellent vs. righties and keeps the ball down.  His pitch quality is pretty mediocre, which keeps him from being considered an elite SP.  Still he'd be a decent #3/#4 type for a contender, and should put up some fairly good numbers, and eat up a lot of innings.  

4. R.J. Vidal, 28, SP
No Designation
Key Stat: 4.30 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 5 years, $50 million

Possible Destinations:  Toronto, Honolulu, Anaheim, Burlington

Signed with Vancouver - 5 years, $56 million

Vidal is a crafty lefty with very good pitch quality and above average control.  He also keeps the ball down pretty well.  His splits are fairly mediocre, so he falls more in the #3/#4 SP category.  But on the upside, he is only 28, and doesn't cost a draft pick (rumor has it he was a cap casualty in Seattle), so he should be a popular target this offseason.  

5. David Thomas, 35, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.33 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $30 million

Possible Destinations: Cincinnati, Toronto, Texas, Honolulu

Signed with Texas - 4 years, $29 million

Thomas is one of the most talented hurlers in this free agent class, with great ratings across the board, except for pitch quality, which is somewhat mediocre.  Still, he has a past history of success, and would be a good add for most rotations, and even though he is 35, should still have a few more excellent seasons left. 

6. Ralph Erving, 31, CF
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: .824 Career OPS
Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $36 million

Possible Destinations: Chicago (AL), Vancouver, Memphis, Portland

Signed with Tampa Bay - 4 years, $30.6 million

Erving has a great power bat, and excellent contact, to go with being very efficient against RHP.  He has an excellent glove with decent range, good enough to put in CF, albeit he won't be great there.  Still, he has to be considered one of the best all around offensive players in this year's free agent class.

7. Geovany Mateo, 30, RP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat:  3.47 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under:  4 years, $36 million

Possible Destinations:  Rochester, Tampa Bay, Honolulu, Nashville

Signed with Tampa Bay - 4 years, $22.3 million

Mateo gets the nod for top reliever in this free agent class.  He has excellent pitches, and great control and effectiveness vs. righties.  His LH split isn't great, and he does allow some fly balls, but we think he is still an elite reliever and is a workhorse who has show he can put in a quality 100 innings plus.  

8. Juan Ramirez, 32, RP
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.05 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $27 million

Possible Destinations: Toronto, Pawtucket, Philadelphia, Louisville

Signed with Arizona - 4 years, $16.8 million

Ramirez is also a great reliever, with plus control and efficiency vs. righties, to go along with excellent pitch quality.  He throws hard, but does allow some fly balls.  He's not quite the workhorse Mateo is, but should still flourish, possibly in a closer's role. 

9. Pep Hasegawa, 30, DH
No Designation
Key Stat: 245 Career Home Runs
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $15 million

Possible Destinations:  Chicago (AL), Arizona, Texas, New Britain

Signed with St. Louis - 2 years, $8.4 million

Hasegawa has elite power to go with very good splits and a decent batting eye.  His fielding skills are weak, making him a DH or maybe a reach 1B (fielding wise) in the NL.  Still, his bat will boost most lineups, his numbers are a bit skewed from playing in Seattle, we feel he has the potential to do a lot better in a more favorable park for hitters. 

10. Herbert Vina, 30, RP
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.16 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $25 million

Possible Destinations: Rochester, Tampa Bay, Texas, Oklahoma City

Signed with Rochester - 4 years, $16 million

Vina looks similar in a lot of ways to Juan Ramirez, excellent ratings across the board in control, vs. RH and has two outstanding pitches.  He is good, but not great vs. LH, and tends to allow some fly balls.  His stamina is limited, so he can't be considered a workhorse, but for the innings he is out there, whoever signs him should get quality production.

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