| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 08-14-2009 |
I've been asked on several occasions what I think of the job new GM Jack Zduriencik has done thus far and I keep saying the same things."It's difficult to find anything to complain about, but if I had to point the finger at one thing, it'd be the player development handling of right-handers Brandon Morrow and Phillippe Aumont."
The Morrow situation is and always will be one in which even the new regime blew it. They put the decision in Morrow's hands in March and that's not something a smart front office does. Of course he's going to choose the big leagues, even if it means relief work rather than starting games.
But the Aumont situation is different. At least it is now that I have learned more of the reasoning.
No, Tony Blengino and Tom McNamara and Jack Zduriencik don't simply believe he's best suited as a reliever. I never believed that, not for one second. Their public reasoning was just a bunch of hogwash, and still is. But there's also a reason why they keep going back to the same old "we scouted him heavily for the draft and always saw him as a reliever" mantra.
Phillippe Aumont has a degenerative hip condition that bothers him when he's starting games and throwing an extended number of pitches. In relief, he's apparently relieved enough to not risk making the condition worse than it is or risking further injury.
This, clearly, changes everything.
Not that anyone could have known this, so I won't apologize for any critical remarks I made about the decision, but I also can't blame the front office for not coming out and talking about a medical condition. I'm certainly more than happy they did not.
But if the hip injury is the reason, then it's a good reason. It's the only excusable reason and the front office not only made the right move with Aumont on the field, but they, not surprisingly, coupled that with the right move off the field, too.
If the hip condition is of the degenerative state I am told and it bothers him to the extent I've learned it does when the 6-foot-7 Canadian takes the hill as a starting pitcher every five or six days, there's only one thing left to say.
Porte, claquée !
Phillippe Aumont is a closer prospect and is not likely to return to the rotation at any point in his baseball career.
the-truth-about-aumont
Comments
The following 56 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: John_S on 08-14-2009 14:17:58 Wow! Wouldn't Bavasi and the Scouting Director and the crosschecker at the time have known this based on having him take a physical? It makes more sense now, but as a 6'7 guy I wonder how long of a career he will have with that condition? The Bavasi Era will never go away! |
| 2. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-14-2009 14:19:38 I really thought they knew about some insignificant condition he had, but I didn't write about it and I can't find anything on it anywhere, so perhaps there was no evidence of it at the time after all. |
| 3. By: The Great Pumpkin on 08-14-2009 14:20:07 Interesting. So, to compare relief prospects, who do you like more between Fields and Aumont? Also, it's been awhile since I've seen a blog post from the mystery pitcher. Is that still going on? |
| 4. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-14-2009 14:22:27 Got one coming tomorrow -- and he's actually a bat, not a pitcher. |
| 5. By: baseballman on 08-14-2009 14:35:12 wow, i dont even know what to say. while im glad the FO actually does have a clue on how to handle this kid, i have to come to the realization that the Ms will never have a felix-aumont 1 2 punch... thanks for reportin this JAC |
| 6. By: Willmore on 08-14-2009 14:42:16 Off topic, but Jason, have you read the Arroyo interview he did for USA Today? http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/reds/2009-08-12-arroyo-cover-unconcerned_N.htm Any thoughts? |
| 7. By: rjfrik on 08-14-2009 15:38:28 This is so awful. I felt sick to my stomach when they drafted him, I was screaming at my T.V. for them to grab Heyward. I just thought he was by far the best player available and possibly could go down as the best player in that draft and he was perfect for SafeCo and we didn't have any players like him. But of course Bavasi and co don't select him. I somewhat got over it and thought well at least, I hope, Aumont can become a #2 SP behind Felix, I still wanted Heyward but I could live with the blunder if Aumont turns out. But Now. I don't even know what to say, draft 2 relievers 2 years in a row in the first round. LOL. I don't know how Bavasi ever was offered a F.O. position. I honestly think a 12 year old kid who collects baseball cards could do better then him. It simply amazes me. Man I wish we had Heyward, more the Lincicum to be honest. Frickin Sucks |
| 8. By: VikingArthur on 08-14-2009 16:38:44 The incompetence of Bavasi knows no bounds. It seems that nearly every series we play we find another Bavasi blunder. Against the White Sox it was Thornton for Borchard! Ha, Ha. I have come to the conclusion that Bavasi was working undercover for the Angels to set our franchise back a decade. |
| 9. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-14-2009 16:45:42 Willmore, I did. That was bold, eh? rjfrik, You're my favorite. |
| 10. By: dewey on 08-14-2009 19:18:38 Your last comment amused me Tony Belangio and Tom Macnamara didnt think he could be a starter did Tonys statistical anakisis say this our Macnamaras half year he played in the northwest decide this? If you said Jack i get it but the other 2 have no time on the field our in a player development department so that scares the crap out of me.Im not hearing great things abot Macnamara at all a real hothead.. |
| 11. By: sg9207 on 08-14-2009 20:32:59 Poythress hit his first home run tonight in AA and Cortes goes 6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 K though he did walk 6. Hey JAC where do you see Poythress starting the season next year? |
| 12. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-14-2009 20:49:19 Probably right back in Double-A West Tenn. But he could move quickly and even be in the bigs by July or August next year. |
| 13. By: sg9207 on 08-14-2009 20:52:32 Thanks JAC. I noticed Tui is playing 2B tonight, not sure if that has been a regular occurrence but how does he project there defensively? |
| 14. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-14-2009 21:59:35 Not well. Range, actions, footwork. |
| 15. By: masonb on 08-14-2009 22:57:33 mlbtraderumors is reporting that Luke Bailey signed with Tampa Bay for 735k. Now I'm totally confused with the Baron and Franklin picks |
| 16. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-14-2009 23:13:08 Bailey got 750k, according to, well, me. Franklin's going to get over slot or he won't sign -- but he's going to sign unless his agent, David Meters, backs out of an agreement -- he's apparently known to do that. I can understand not wanting to take the chance on Scheppers. I can even understand not wanting to use a top 40 pick on a catcher coming off TJ surgery. But they passed up guys that weren't risks and weren't likely to break the bank. Max Stassi, anyone? Wil Myers just signed for 2 mil. If he ends up a catcher, he might be the best of the class this year -- he has the most upside at the plate. Frankling is going to get 1.2 ish. |
| 17. By: Edman on 08-14-2009 23:24:20 rjfrik, Aumont slid to the Mariners, so it wasn't a stretch pick. Maybe you didn't like the pick, but it was a solid one. This is exactly what I was talking about last week. It's easy from the bleachers to say what should and should not be done with players, major or minor league. But, sometimes, there is more data than you are aware of, that lead to certain decisions. Morrow was just a horrible decision, period. I didn't mind them giving him experience in the bullpen, many have started that way. They failed when they sent him to Venezuela for the winter, stretched him out, then put him back in the bullpen. They should have either started him in Tacoma, or made him the fifth starter and left him there. Speaking of Morrow, he's pitched to decent games in a row, so there's hope still. He didn't have many strikeouts, so I'd be curious to see what the observational reports were. |
| 18. By: Adam T on 08-14-2009 23:24:52 Re: Heyward vs. Aumont. It bugs sometimes when people complain that they could have got this player or that, because every team misses on players. That said, I shudder to think about the fact that we could have Tulo at short, Lincecum behind (ahead?) of Felix in the rotation, Heyward killing it in West Tenn, and Friedrich dominating the Cal League (which is exactly what he's doing right now). I'll withhold judgment on the 2009 draft for now.... |
| 19. By: Edman on 08-14-2009 23:41:21 Adam, you have a magic crystal ball? Hindsight is 20/20. It's always frustrating. But it's cherry-picking to take the best of draft classes, and say "woulda, coulda, shoulda". How many other names were given big press, that didn't pan out? How's "can't miss" thirdbaseman Alex Gordon doing in Kansas City? The list goes on. I'm not defending anyone's draft. No one team drafted all the players you feel could have been drafted. And, just for the record, Stassi hasn't signed with the A's. I don't know if he will, or won't. But if he doesn't, wouldn't that have been a bad pick? You can always find examples in every draft, of guys who should have been taken. I wouldn't have minded Tulo, but at the time, nobody saw the decline of Balentine, so it became a choice of similar players, of which there were no real catching prospects like Clement, in the organization. Bavasi may have sucked in regard to signing players, but some of the players he and his company drafted, worked out pretty well. Unfortunately, two of the best went to Baltimore. |
| 20. By: Edman on 08-14-2009 23:43:17 Ooops, not Balentein, but Bettencourt. |
| 21. By: Slack on 08-15-2009 08:10:22 Will Tyler Matzek sign with the Rockies? I would think that the Rockies current success and good pitching this year would be encouraging for him but then again, its all about money, isn't it? |
| 22. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-15-2009 08:42:09 He might be the least likely first-rounder to sign. Although it doesn't look good for LeVon Washington, Aaron Crow or Matt Purke, either. |
| 23. By: FatBat on 08-15-2009 10:42:38 Quick question. If Tui isnt in the M's Future at 3b, and prob. not at 2b...uh where does he fit in? He's not the best prospect in our system but he has been in our top ten for a few years now, so what to do? Thought Gents? |
| 24. By: FatBat on 08-15-2009 10:57:22 Oh, and as far as upgrading pitching next year...why not try and get Kazmir. Felix Kazmir RRS snell French Nick Johnson for 1b DH Branyan Trade with Padres for Kouzmanouf. Trade Lopez, Morrow and Lowe for Cano! Ichiro Cano Johnson Branyan Gutieraz Kouzmanouf Saunders Wilson Rob Johnson/Moore Or we could just promot from within my bad I just woke up! |
| 25. By: SMariners11 on 08-15-2009 11:01:34 Cleto is still wild as ever Jason. His curve is still inconsitent, from the bullpen I saw, but when he throws it, it has a real sharp break. |
| 26. By: rjfrik on 08-15-2009 11:32:45 Edman, you most likely don't remember that much of the 2007 draft, but I do. Or you didn't really pay attention to any of the prospects pre-draft, but I did. Aumont didn't really slide anywhere. He was reported as "climbing" up draft boards right before the draft because he had a good showing with team Canada down in Florida. But there were many teams that weren't that intrigued by him which I guess caused his "slide". Why weren't they intrigued? Because he's from Eastern Canada and had all but 2 years on the mound. Yes he had a great fastball. But his slider was average at best and he didn't have any other off speed pitches. Hmm. Sounds like a guy who is a reach to me, not a guy who should of been picked with the 10th pick in the draft. Heyward on the other hand was the best left handed power high school bat in the draft. He was a kid, despite his power, who was more known for his eye, he drew 43 walks his senior year, which is ridiculous. He was his teams CF but profiled in the bigs as a LF or 1B. He projected as a high average, high power bat from the left side, with amazing baseball skills. He was a very smart kid, both of his parents were college professors and he was accepted to UCLA. His baseball smarts, work ethic and feel for the game were all plus plus. Add that with his body, which was very athletic, and projected frame to go along with his hitting skills and you can see why I was intrigued. At the time of the draft what did the M's have in their system? They had a 2 front line starters in the minors, their names were Chris Tillman and Brandon Morrow. The M's did not have any type of Left Handed power hitting bats who would also have a high OBP and hit for average and especially not at 1b. You can say, well it's after the fact and of course you can say the shoulda, coulda, woulda's now. Hindsight is 20/20, yada yada yada. But at least in my case I saw the writing on the wall before the writing was there. It's just unfortunate that Bavasi and Co. didn't see the same writing. You know Edman there is also a thing called Foresight and it would of been nice to have it used in the past regime. I didn't have a problem with the Clement pick and at the time I was on board with it. The Morrow pick falls right in line with the Aumont pick, with who was on the board I couldn't really explain it. Oh well. It's in the past. I can tell you one thing though, if those two guys (Aumont and Heyward) were available with the 10th pick and Jack was selecting the player I'm pretty sure I know which guy he would choose, which guy he values....and at least that makes me feel good. |
| 27. By: mauricewilliamsiii on 08-15-2009 12:48:11 The bad breaks just continue for this franchise. My question is how can we expect Aumont to become an elite closer with the pitches he throws. It seems to me that lefties will eat him alive in the bigs, especially as time goes on. To me he is now a better version of Sean White. As far as Tui is concerned I see him as a utility player with unusual pop and OBP skills. Not someone who is worthy of more than 250-300 PA but with the ability to play multiple positions with not terrible defense but not quite average either. Next year I see him starting to get aquainted with the OF. Morrow seems to finally be putting it together. Only 96 pitches last night was quite impressive. If he can learn to pitch to contact with his stuff he may yet be that all elusive number two starter. Jason my question for you would be how good is Poythress right now in comparison to Cris Shelton and Mike Sweeney? |
| 28. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-15-2009 14:08:40 Poythress isn't big league ready. |
| 29. By: Edman on 08-15-2009 16:21:33 rjfrik, if Aumont was that good with that little experience and training, don't you think perhaps he projected out to be even better, given proper instruction and his age? They don't draft (or shouldn't) in the first round to fill holes. They draft for potential impact players. And, Aumont projected that way. There was nothing wrong with where he was picked. You want to spout-off about how smart you are when it comes to drafting, be my guest. There are tons of guys, professional or plain old Joes who pick them right. They pick them wrong too. Many applauded the M's for getting Aumont where they did. Heyward was talked about as well. They obviously felt that Phillipe had potential to be a TOR starter. Shit happens. That's one reason you don't draft for need. You can never have too many good players at any one position. Worse case is, you can move a player like that for more help. Or, if he showed talent similar to Felix, and had Morrow stepped up, that you'd have tons of options to get better. The only thing that defines failure is results. Unfortunately, Aumont won't be the projected starter they had hoped. So, you change direction and do all you can to get the most out of what he can do. How in the world to you plan for that? What if Heyward suffers a career ending injury? What if he suffers a mental collapse when he gets to the bigs? There's so much you can't know, when kids are drafted. You just hope they perform as planned. Sometimes, fate plays a bigger part than all the planning any team can do. |
| 30. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-15-2009 18:30:52 Aumont didn't have a severe hip issue at draft time. There were at least two teams that would have taken Aumont top 5 had they had picks in that range -- one of them had Aumont No. 1 overall. You can blame Bavasi-Fontaine for not drafting Bumgarner, Heyward, and even Dominguez, but the Aumont pick was not a bad one. It hasn't turned out, but you can't predict injuries. |
| 31. By: Edman on 08-15-2009 18:46:50 Exactly, Jason. Everyone has their favorites in the draft. Nobody ever remembers the ones they got wrong. But, the sure remember when they get one right. Good to see Franklin signed. I feel sorry for the poor kid. First, Larue refers to him as an outfielder, then today on the pre-game batting cage show, Brad Adam referred to him as a catcher. LOL....let's hope he hasn't paid attention to the Seattle media. He's gonna wonder if anyone knows who he is. Ankley's gonna go down to the wire. Washington released something today that makes the signing of Strasburg seem in jeopardy. God knows. Reports are that he's been offered a record bonus, which is no surprise. If Steven doesn't sign, would that affect Ankley? Boras is more concerned about himself, than his clients. Josh Fields lost nothing but time, because he played hardball. Matt Harrington lost EVERYTHING betting on Boras. Sad when a man like Boras puts himself, his greed and his enormous ego ahead of the game that provides him the amazing way of life he leads. When he dies, no doubt he'll be working with the devil, trying to negotiate over people's souls. The Devil may actually have someone around him who makes him seem human. Any word on Blandford? I can't think the guy believes his mediocre numbers in college translate into six or seven figures. Well, I'm sure egos are at stake. |
| 32. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-15-2009 19:28:48 I bet each of the top three picks sign. Ackley's going to sign, Tate is going to sign. And unless Strasburg's family wants to let Boras play chicken with his future, he'll sign, too. The record bonus is 10.5 mil -- he'll double that, I think. 18 mil minimum. |
| 33. By: ASUBoyd on 08-15-2009 20:17:33 Jason - Any word on whether Tyler Blandford will sign? It would be nice to get another pitcher from this class. I read a few reports saying he might return to school. |
| 34. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-15-2009 20:38:28 I haven't heard anything. He isn't passing up big money if he returns, and could triple or quadruple his bonus if he does so... |
| 35. By: Missthosepilots on 08-15-2009 21:13:27 Thanks Jason! Interesting coming down to the end of the signing period. Have to wonder if someday Boros and the like will back themselves into a sad corner playing chicken with potential careers. A pitcher who sits outs could lose all leverage with one pitch. Oh well...I hope that our kid signs. And I don't know why the Rockies here drafted Matzek...They are millions of miles apart. Good pitcher but they had no chance from day one. Crazy stuff in uncertain times. |
| 36. By: bodhizefa on 08-16-2009 02:19:23 Jason, you say it doesn't look good for Crow? Really? If anyone would've had incentive to sign rather quickly, it would seem to have been Aaron Crow. Sometimes I just don't understand these guys. If he doesn't sign this year, his chances of becoming a big leaguer drop dramatically. |
| 37. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-16-2009 08:26:35 KC apparently offered Crow $3 mil, which is way over slot for even a top 5 pick, and he said no. And I'm not sure Colorado had no shot. They offered $2 mil right off the bat and if they went to $3, they might get him, despite his piss-poor attitude toward being drafted by the Rockies at 11. If I were Colorado, I'd pull the offer and refuse to negotiate further. $7 mil is ridiculous. |
| 38. By: Stuntman on 08-16-2009 12:49:04 hey Jason heads up,on TNT twitter box(down on the right hand side),they say that the M's want Ackley to take a physical and before a deal is done. go check it out. See Ya Jason and keep them coming. |
| 39. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-16-2009 15:38:19 The deal IS agreed to when the player takes a physical. |
| 40. By: Lonnie on 08-16-2009 16:50:21 I remember reading all the reports and seeing the post draft interview with Matzek. The Rockies never stood a chance of signing him unless they got stupid with the checkbook. I'm kind of inwardly gloating since he's signed to play for Oregon :) Lonnie |
| 41. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-16-2009 17:04:30 Matzek's losing money by not signing. That's what the odds say. No. 11 overall, and the Rockies are offering over-slot money for that spot. Chances in this economic climate that he gets drafted higher and/or gets the same or better offer in three years isn't very good. |
| 42. By: kamaki03 on 08-16-2009 17:41:45 Jason a little of topic but how do you see Ezequiel Carrera as a prospect. Defensively he looks really good, and I could see him as a top of the order bat in 2 or 3 years when Ichiro is done. Also is Fister pitching above himself these last 2 outings or are these the type of outings he can consistently put together. |
| 43. By: Adam T on 08-16-2009 18:09:06 If I'm a GM trying to negotiate a deal with a draftee who is threatening to walk away, I just flash a picture of Matt Harrington. |
| 44. By: amac360 on 08-16-2009 18:36:34 Jason, what do you think about this trade? Ichiro Jose Lopez Michael Saunders Jack Wilson Mark Lowe Young prospect or two For Jason Heyward Yunel Escobar Contract (Lowe or Hudson) |
| 45. By: amac360 on 08-16-2009 18:36:46 Jason, what do you think about this trade? Ichiro Jose Lopez Michael Saunders Jack Wilson Mark Lowe Young prospect or two For Jason Heyward Yunel Escobar Contract (Lowe or Hudson) |
| 46. By: Slurve on 08-16-2009 19:08:01 Amac you posted that on LL and the consensus there was it was stupid and I highly doubt that would change here. |
| 47. By: Juan Valdez on 08-16-2009 20:56:59 Re: Matzek - stupid for an 18 year-old kid to turn down that kind of money. It may not sound like a lot compared to some of the numbers that get thrown around in professional sports, but 2-3 mil is an incredible amount of money in the real world. |
| 48. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-16-2009 21:07:53 Neither team would make that deal. If yer talking Fantasy, the team getting Ichiro wins. |
| 49. By: stickball on 08-16-2009 22:30:59 amac360 it doesn't make sense for either team. Jason, right, so Toronto would never trade Rios for Bedard just to get his contract off the books. |
| 50. By: Jason A. Churchill on 08-16-2009 22:43:23 Are you asking me, stick, or telling me? Because I certainly think they would have, at least after they'd fallen out of contention this season. While they were in it maybe, too, considering they ultimately needed to dump the salary. |
| 51. By: ASUBoyd on 08-16-2009 23:37:12 Chances the deal does not get done? |
| 52. By: DAMellen on 08-17-2009 08:21:50 What time's the signing deadline? |
| 53. By: acqb1424 on 08-17-2009 08:29:39 9:01 Pacific Time |
| 54. By: Missthosepilots on 08-17-2009 08:31:10 Deadline at 9pm Seattle time. Maybe Harrington can help Crow, Matzek and company find jobs at Costco? Interesting to see what happens. Hard to figure kids, especially pitchers, walking away from guaranteed money. |
| 55. By: rjfrik on 08-17-2009 11:16:43 At least in Matzek's case he really wants to be a Duck. It's really not about the money for him. He knows his talent and he's sure in 3 to 4 years after a spectacular college career he will get his money and most likely get drafted higher. Plus he wants to hit bad, so when he's not pitching he will be in the lineup every day. As far as Crow goes, to me he's an idiot, passing up money 2 times around isn't smart especially when there is no more college to attend |
| 56. By: SMariners11 on 08-17-2009 13:11:24 Jason, What is your take on Carraway? I talked to him the other day and he said he has thrown about 130 innings already and is pretty tired. Is there an injury risk there? Overall seemed like a good guy, just wanted to hear the scouting aspect of him tho. |
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