Archive for Pat Venditte
Mailbag: Pat Venditte
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(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Dylan asks: What happened to Pat Venditte? I know the Yanks didn’t protect him, so he could have been snatched up by some other team, but I never heard if that happened? Do the Yanks still have control over him, and where will he spend this season?
The Yankees didn’t lose any players in the Rule 5 Draft last month, so Venditte is still in the organization. He spent the last few months pitching in winter ball in Mexico, striking out 46 batters and walking just seven in 42.1 relief innings. He did give up six homers though (1.28 HR/9), which is very uncharacteristic for him (0.44 HR/9 in the minors). Overall, Venditte threw 132.1 IP in 2011.
Like big leaguers, minor league players need six full years of service time to become minor league free agents. The Yankees drafted Venditte in 2008, so they still control his rights through 2014. There’s a pretty good chance that he’ll be sent back to Double-A Trenton this year just because of the numbers crunch in the Triple-A Scranton bullpen, though he did perform fairly well there last season: 8.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 90 IP. Pretty good, but not nearly as good as what he did from 2008-2010: 11.2 K/9 and 1.9 K/9 in 174.2 IP.
We all know Venditte does the switch-pitcher thing, but it’s worth noting that he does have a pretty significant platoon split. He’s held left-handed batters to a .191/.238/.253 batting line with 33.4% strikeouts and 6.1% walks since 2009, but right-handers have gotten him for a .240/.286/.367 batting line with the same walk rate but just 22.6% strikeouts. Venditte’s stuff from the right side — low-90′s fastball with an over-the-top curveball — has always been considered better than his stuff from the left side — mid-80′s heat and a slider — but so far he’s gotten better results as a southpaw. It could just be a sample size issue; we’re only talking 400 or so plate appearances as a lefty and about 500 as a righty.
I figured that some team would pop Venditte in the Rule 5 Draft just to take a look at him in Spring Training, but ultimately no one decided he was worth the $50k draft price (only $25k if he ends up being returned). He’ll probably go back to Double-A to start the year before a midseason promotion comes into play, but as always, he remains a fringe prospect. The ambidextrous thing means more attention, but not more ability.
Mailbag: Nunez, Arneson, Cards, Venditte, IFAs
Posted by: | CommentsFive questions this week, and four are farm system-related in one way or another. You can use the Submit A Tip box in the sidebar whenever you want to send in a question.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Matt asks: Would you agree that an off-season strategy could be to include E. Nunez in a package for something the Yankees want, while giving his role for 2012 to Corban Joseph?
I would not agree with that, mainly because Joseph can’t play shortstop. I assume he played it in high school, but he’s been a second baseman almost exclusively as a pro. I’m willing to bet that CoJo could fake short in an emergency, but Derek Jeter‘s getting up there in age, and the Yankees need someone capable of playing there for an extended period of time without embarrassing themselves. Nunez can do that, Ramiro Pena can maybe do that, but I’m not sure Joseph can. I think if anything, he could step into Eric Chavez‘s shoes as the lefty bat/corner infielder, but I can understand wanting a veteran in that role.
The CoJo situation will be interesting to watch, because I’m not really sure where he fits in. He’s obviously not going to unseat Robinson Cano at second, so maybe it’s best to turn into some kind of utility guy that can play first, second, third, and maybe left. Of course, they could always use him as trade bait. I would have no trouble trading Nunez in the right package, but I wouldn’t count on Joseph replacing him, at least not in 2012.
Jeff asks: Hey Mike, I read that Zachary Arneson signed for a 20k bonus. Any idea why it was so low compared to other picks before and after his round? Cheers.
Arneson, this year’s ninth rounder, was a college senior out of Lewis-Clark State, and college seniors don’t have much leverage at all. Their options are either sign or go back to school as a fifth year senior and come out next year with even less leverage. Very rarely do they improve their stock. Seniors definitely get the shaft in the draft game, but that’s life. Some other notable college seniors the Yankees have drafted in recent years: Adam Warren ($195k), Tim Norton ($85k), Kyle Roller ($45k), Sam Elam ($40k), T.J. Beam ($20k), and Chris Malec ($1k). Yep, Malec got a grand, that’s it.
Update: One thing I forgot to mention … the signing deadline does not apply to college seniors. They are free to sign at any point before the next year’s draft.
Sean asks: With St. Louis about to (presumably) tie up a lot of money in Pujols, do you think there is a chance to snag a piece of their rotation in the off-season? Assuming they do not exercise their options for Wainwright or Carpenter, can you see the Yankees pursuing either of them or Edwin Jackson? And if so, what kind of contract would Wainwright be looking for?
Despite the Tommy John surgery, I can’t see why the Cardinals would decline Adam Wainwright’s options after the season. The team has to pick up both at the same time, and they’ll pay him $9M next season and $12M the season after. Even if he comes back and is two-thirds of what he was before (so 4+ WAR instead of 6+ WAR), that’s a bargain. They’d be foolish not to pick them up, but if they didn’t for whatever reason, I’d want the Yankees to be all over him. Wainwright’s a legit ace when healthy, with a fastball-curveball combo that will play anywhere, NL Central or AL East. There’s no real precedent for an ace-caliber pitcher hitting the open market after missing the year due to injury, so I have no idea what kind of contract would be appropriate. Maybe one-year, $10M plus incentives and a huge option for 2012 ($18M?) to let him rebuild his value than cash in shortly thereafter? I have no idea, just spitballin’.
Chris Carpenter is a much different story. We’ve written about him a number of times here, and his option is for $15M next year. That’s pricey for a 36-year-old who’s still very good (3.10 FIP), but maybe not truly elite anymore. He’d be an ideal stopgap number two type for the Yankees, allowing them to avoid the C.J. Wilsons of the world before going nuts on the 2012 free agent class (Matt Cain, John Danks, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, all of them and more will be free agents after next season). Edwin Jackson … meh. I loved him as a rental for this year, but signing him to a multi-year deal as a free agent? I’d rather pass on that.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
JCK asks: Pat Venditte has been great since mid-June in Trenton. Everyone says his stuff doesn’t play to major league hitters, but he’s adjusted to every level so far. Do you think the Yankees protect him this winter?
Venditte’s eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter, and no, I don’t think the Yankees will protect him. David Phelps, D.J. Mitchell, and George Kontos are all going to have to be added to the 40-man roster after the season, and there’s only so much room for pitchers on that thing. Venditte’s done a great job in the minors, but he doesn’t really have an out pitch from either side and it shows in his strikeout rate this year (8.74 K/9 this year vs. 11+ in previous years). He’s a great org arm, but there wouldn’t be much attention paid to Venditte if he only threw with one arm. I’m pretty sure some team will grab him in the Rule 5 just to give him a look in Spring Training, the novelty is too tempting, but I can’t imagine him sticking in the big leagues for all of 2012. I have to think he’d be offered back at some point.
Alex asks: How involved have the Yankees been in IFA this year? What have been their major signings? It seems as though they’ve been more quiet on this front than in years past.
The Yankees have only signed one player so far (that we know of), Dominican third baseman Miguel Andujar for $750k. The top guys (Victor Sanchez, Elier Hernandez, and Ronald Guzman) have all signed somewhere, but there is still plenty of talent out there for taking, namely Roberto Osuna, who the Yankees have their eyes on. The entire international market seems to have slowed down recently because MLB has really stepped up their age and identity verification process, but remember that the signing period never ends. There’s no deadline, but a new crop of players is added every July 2nd. In fact, the Yankees’ two biggest signings last year – Rafael DePaula and Juan Carlos Paniagua – didn’t agree to terms until December and March, respectively. You can question their drafting strategies, but there’s no way to question the work the Yankees do in Latin America. They consistently produce quality players and prospects year after year, and I see no reason to believe this year will be any different.
Mailbag: Venditte, Draft Contracts, Signing Bonuses
Posted by: | CommentsWe skipped the mailbag last week, but don’t worry, we’re back in full force today. Among the items on today’s menu is the amazing Pat Venditte, or really the Yankees decision to keep him cooped up in A-ball. There’s also a little draft talk, with an explanation about how those kinds of contracts work. And last, but certainly not least, we play off Mike Ashmore’s latest and greatest to see which Yankee farmhands received the largest signing bonuses, allowing them to live a little more comfortably in the minors.
Steve asks: Pat Venditte continues to have terrific numbers at each minor league level. While the ambidextrous pitcher is a great curiosity there doesn’t seem to be much interest to test him at the next level. He’s now 25 in A+ Tampa, which is on the old side. While it’s been written that the Yankees may not have him projected as a true prospect, somewhere along the line they will need to find out how far he can go. What is the hesitancy at this point?
I think it’s just a matter of the team not believing he’s an actual prospect, so he’s low on the totem pole. Other guys get moved up first because they’re of higher priority, so to speak. There’s no arguing the numbers, obviously, but he’s not the only reliever to perform well in A-ball history. His stuff is better from the right side but still nothing special, and he’s a nice gimmick for minor league teams always looking for funpromotions.
Not to sound harsh, but if it wasn’t for the whole switch-pitcher thing, no one would think twice about Venditte. He is what he is, a 25-year-old senior sign schooling younger batters. Think of it as a redux of Colter Bean or Chris Britton; the guy has such great numbers in the minors and we all want him called up, but when he does we watch him and say “oh … ewww.” Most of the time the Yankees are right about these kinds of guys, with the only obvious exception being John Axford. If they don’t believe Venditte has a future in the big leagues, he probably doesn’t.
Matt asks: Hey, I was wondering what the contract value of a draft pick actually means. When someone says a player signed for five million, is that just the bonus? Also when the details say that someone signed a five year, 9.9 million dollar contact, does that mean that player gets that much money for five years in the minors or is that when he reaches the majors?
It depends on the type of contract. If it’s a minor league deal, which most are, then it’s a straight bonus and the player gets all his money up front. At some point in June, the Yankees handed Cito Culver a check for $954,000, less taxes and what not. That must have been a cool feeling for Cito.
Major league deals are different, but they’re just like free agent contracts. The player receives a signing bonus and an annual salary set forth in the contract. They could receive the bonus up front, or it could be paid out over time. The guaranteed portion of the deal is the bonus and salary, incentives are not guaranteed, obviously.
Since we don’t have the full breakdown of Bryce Harper’s deal just yet, let’s use David Price as an example. He signed a six year deal worth $8.5M guaranteed after being the first overall pick in the 2007 draft, with the majority of that money coming in the form of a $5.6M signing bonus paid out in annual installments from 2007 to 2012. The contract also set his salary each year from 2007 to 2012, both in the majors and minors. The minor league salaries are the guaranteed money he’ll receive no matter what, the big league salaries will push the value of the deal to $11.25M. These deals are rare and are generally reserved for elite prospects, but this is a typical breakdown.
Like I said, the big league deals are the same as free agent contracts. There’s the guaranteed money plus incentives that can be earned on top of that. The only difference is that the player is optioned to the minor leagues for some length of time, and they don’t have the service time to refuse the assignment. For the player, the benefit of a big league deal is he goes right on 40-man roster, theoretically bringing him closer to the bigs, but it also puts the player in the union and gives them those benefits (like better health coverage and miscellaneous royalties).
I wrote this post at MLBTR back in April about the largest major and minor league contracts in draft history, but it obviously doesn’t include this year’s signees.
Tyler asks: Mailbag: Reading Mike Ashmore’s godfather minor league piece, I got to wondering; who are the players in the Yanks organization, not on the 40-man, who have received the largest signing bonus?
I’m sure you’ve seen it, but in case you haven’t, here’s Ashmore’s great article on minor league life that Tyler’s talking about. Don’t miss it, truly great stuff.
I thought this was a pretty neat question, and it was fun researching it. Unsurprisingly, most of the players who received large signing bonuses without going on the 40-man roster are high profile draft picks or international free agent signings. Andrew Brackman‘s $3.35M bonus is the largest the Yanks have ever given a player out of the draft, but of course that was part of a Major League contract. Ian Kennedy’s $2.25M bonus is the second largest overall and the largest they’ve ever handed out in a minor league deal, but he’s no longer in the organization, obviously.
This is the completely unofficial list I came up with. I can’t guarantee its accuracy, I think I got it right. The list is after the jump for space reasons, and I limited it to players who received $500,000 or more.
ESPN E:60 feature on Pat Venditte
Posted by: | CommentsI really hope the kid makes it to the big leagues. It would be so awesome.
Quick Links: Matsui, Montero, Venditte, Sanchez
Posted by: | CommentsSome quick links for you to read as you get ready to fire up the grill, if you haven’t already.
- Longtime reader Cameron emailed along this cool little nugget about Hideki Matsui from the Yomiuri Giants 1998 Season Preview: “It’s rumored that the clumsy center fielder will move to third base in 1998.” Hideki Matsui at third base? I can’t imagine …
- Erik Manning at FanGraphs wrote about the almighty Jesus Montero. In short, the kid’s good. Real good.
- Baseball America released their midseason minor league All-Star team, and the only Yankee farmhand to make the cut is switch pitcher Pat Venditte. You can certainly make a case for Montero over Carlos Santana, but Santana’s absolutely worthy.
- Another Latin American catcher, the recently signed Gary Sanchez, will report to the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Yankees within two weeks according to BP’s Kiley McDaniel. This is unheard, international signees typically sign contracts which begin the follow the season, and at best start their first professional season in Extended Spring Training. The Yanks must think this kid is really advanced.
- Beyond the Box Score took a quick look at the fastball of the recently defected Aroldis Chapman. Shockingly, the Yanks are interested in Chapmn’s services.
Pat Venditte promoted to Tampa
Posted by: | CommentsPeteAbe has the news. Venditte’s struck out 40 batters and allowed just 26 baserunners 30.2 innings with Low-A Charleston this year. It’s an early birthday gift for the ambidextrous Venditte, who turns 24 in three days. It’ll be good to see the kid against some tougher competition.
Profiling Pat Venditte
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Nothing attracts attention quite like a circus sideshow. Luckily for the Yanks, they have their very own baseball oddity pitching in Charleston. His name is Pat Venditte, and as most RAB readers know, he is in professional baseball’s only switch-pitcher.
I’ve always been intrigued with Venditte and so have our readers. In fact, Joe’s short post with a video of the switch-pitching/switch-hitting conflict remains RAB’s most popular. The Yankees too have long liked Venditte. They drafted him in back-to-back years, and novelty aside, he is putting up some eye-opening numbers at Charleston.
As the Charleston closer this year, he is 2-1 with 0.64 ERA in 25 games. He has 20 saves and has an astounding 38:1 K:BB ratio. Now, Venditte is 24, far too old for the Sally League, and was a 20-round draft pick last year. The expectations for him are clearly not too high.
This weekend, Alan Schwarz profiled Venditte. While much of the earlier coverage has focused around Venditte’s ambidexterity, Schwarz looked instead at his baseball future. While we love Pat, the Yankees and scouts aren’t as high on the lefty-righty.
National news organizations travel to Charleston, S.C., to revel in his uniqueness. Fans see his statistics and dream of matchup mayhem. But experienced talent evaluators see not just one underwhelming fastball, but two. Sorry, kid.
“It’s fair to have some skepticism,” said Mark Newman, the Yankees’ senior vice president for baseball operations. “The uniqueness only has value in terms of how it translates into getting big-league hitters out. This isn’t a freak show, it’s a get-hitters-out show. We’re looking for New York impact — not Charleston impact.”
Scrooge as it may sound, Newman’s outlook would be shared by most professional scouts. South Atlantic League history is strewn with right-handers who thrive with 87-mile-per-hour fastballs like Venditte’s. His left-handed stuff is roundly (if not flatteringly) described as slop. Just because it is all thrown by the same guy does not mean it will not get hammered at higher levels.
Venditte doesn’t let the negative assessments get to him though. “I know I’m not a big prospect,” he said to Schwarz. “I have to work my way into becoming someone who the organization sees as maybe one day helping the big club. I’m just happy to have a job. No one here knows where they’re going to be next year or next week. You have to look at it as you’re playing a game for a living, and enjoy it while it lasts.”
That last quote sounds as though it came from the Nuke LaLoosh/Crash Davis School of Talking to Reporters. But anyway, Schwarz delves deeper into the Yanks’ organizational approach to relief pitchers as well:
The Yankees have not promoted Venditte this season because they prefer giving higher-level relief innings to hard-throwing pitchers they believe have higher potential: Kevin Whelan and Mike Dunn at Class AA Trenton, and Adam Olbrychowski and Tim Norton at Class A Tampa. Newman said, “You’re trying to keep these balls in the air, and big tools usually trump lesser tools plus performance.”
…After he earned his 20th save Wednesday night by pitching for the sixth time in nine nights, a scout evaluating him said: “You look at him as a little short. But I’m wondering why he’s still here.”
Newman acknowledged that at some point, perhaps when Charleston’s first half ends later this month, the Yankees will have to find out if Venditte can retire more mature hitters.
I side with that scout. Night after night, Venditte pops up in Mike’s Down on the Farm recaps, and night after night, I wonder why the wait. Venditte is old with amazing peripherals. His ceiling could be AA or it could be as a journeyman relievers. It’s certainly higher than Charleston, and at 24, Venditte isn’t getting younger. The Yanks might as well push the Venditte novelty act as far as it can go.
Photo by Pat Venditte courtesy of Hilton Flores/Staten Island Advance.
The two sides of Pat Venditte
Posted by: | CommentsIn the annals of River Ave. Blues history, no post has garnered more page views than a June 2008 video of Pat Venditte facing off against a switch-hitter. The video is lives on via YouTube, and Venditte, a legitimate switch-pitcher, is still going strong. While his nearly 24 years of age make him a bit old for the Class A Sally league, in 11.2 innings this year, he hasn’t allowed an earned run and has 21 strike outs. Stunningly, he hasn’t walked a batter.
Today, Rick Reilly of ESPN The Magazine profiled the ambidextrous hurler. Who knows what the future holds for Venditte? The Yanks may push him out soon to find out what they have, but as a Minor League sideshow attraction of a potential MLB reliever, Venditte and his six-fingered glove certainly make for an interesting story.
Pat Venditte takes home MiLBY
Posted by: | CommentsVenditte, the Yanks’ 20th round pick in 2008, took home the Minor League Yearly Award for Best Reliever in a Short Season League. The ambidexterous hurler made will be remembered for an exchange with a switch hitter, but he was untouchable on the mound: 32.2 IP, 13 H, 3 ER, 10 BB, 42 K, .117 BAA, and a league leading 23 saves. Congrats to Pat. MiLBY today, Cy Young tomorrow.
Profiling Pat Venditte
Posted by: | CommentsAfter last week’s hullabaloo over Pat Venditte’s debut, every writer around wanted to find out more about the Yanks’ ambi-pitcher. One of the better profiles I read came from Mike Ashmore, beat writer from the Hunterdon County Democrat and editor of the Thunder Thoughts blog. Ashmore spoke Eric Wordekemper, former college teammate of Venditte, and offers up some insight and a scouting report of the Yanks’ unique pitcher.
Just 6 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
