Max Frankel:
I demand 500 words on the Daniel descalso signing!
We can do it together but OTBB readers expect 500 words on Daniel descalso!
Sean Morash:
Ok. I’m in. You just started it. I’m at work though, where’d he sign?
Max Frankel:
Rockies
Sean Morash:
Why does this merit 500 words? He’s our backup second baseman in The Show. Is that why it’s noteworthy?
Max Frankel:
That is one reason of many. Also, Daniel Descalso fits well with OTBB’s long and storied history of profiling lesser, some would say worse, baseball players in the vein of our Scott Atcheson post (https://offthebenchbaseball.com/2012/05/27/scott-atchison-one-of-major-league-baseballs-best-relievers/) our Trevor Plouffe (https://offthebenchbaseball.com/2012/07/02/who-the-hell-is-trevor-plouffe/) and our Seth Smith (https://offthebenchbaseball.com/2014/08/28/padres-seth-smith-the-very-poor-mans-paul-goldschmidt/) posts.
Also, more importantly, where will Rockies fans and Mr. and Mrs. Descalso go for insight into the new outlook for the team and the division if not here?
Hit me with some analysis.
Sean Morash:
How about this: Rockies 2b had a .292 OBP last year and were worth -0.4 WAR. Descalso had a .333 OBP last year with .1 WAR in 184 PAs. Even if he doesn’t get better with more playing time, those numbers would represent a significant upgrade.
Throw in that he’ll be in Coors field and Descalso could turn into an all-star very quickly
Max Frankel:
Plus, now they have to replace Josh Rutledge who was just traded to the Angels
And hold on now with that All-Star talk….. let’s not go crazy.
Sean Morash:
Before you freak out about my all-star comment, Daniel Murphy (.342 OBP in the first half) was an All-Star.
The bar for second basemen is extremely low. He gets the Coors effect and watch out.
Max Frankel:
Yeah but Daniel Murphy is actually a pretty decent offensive second basemen. Descalso was non-tendered.
Sean Morash:
Explain to me how much better Murphy is than Descalso.
Max Frankel:
Sure. Last season, in 143 games, Murphy hit .289 with 9 bombs and a .332 OBP.
In 104 games, Descalso got on at the same clip. But he hit .242 with no power at all
Murphy also had a 2.0 WAR compared to Descalso’s .1
Sean Morash:
Murphy hit 9 more homers in 458 more plate appearances.
Max Frankel:
Murphy stole 13 bases last season, Descalso has 16 in his career.
Sean Morash:
All I’m saying is that it’s closer than the experts think (shout out to Lee Corso).
Max Frankel:
Well its not. But I feel like you are bolstering my argument that Descalso is a good acquisition. At least an interesting one.
Let’s look at the new Rockies lineup.
Sean Morash:
It’s one that baseball nerds will like
Max Frankel:
I’ve got:
- Dickerson
- Arenado
- Tulo
- Morneau
- CArgo
- Rosario
- Descalso
- Stubbs
Dickerson is good. Arenado is good. Tulo and Cargo are always hurt. Morneau is unlikely to play as well as he did last year. Rosario is rapidly wearing out his welcome. Stubbs is bad
Also, the Rotation is an absolute dumpster fire. Again.
Sean Morash:
Absolutely agree that the rotation is laughable at current, but I thought Jon Gray was due up this spring. Also, Tyler Matzek is not terrible.
Max Frankel:
Jon Gray is legit. I saw him throw for AA Tulsa last year. The problem is that in Coors, ‘not terrible’ doesn’t cut it. The Rockies have spent 20 seasons trying to figure out how to pitch at altitude and they still end up promoting decent prospects before they’re ready.
Especially at a time when the Red Sox are stockpiling sinker ballers. Why hasn’t Colorado been doing that for a decade?
And Coors makes a negative WAR out of any position look that much worse.
Sean Morash:
Yeah. That’s what’s so impressive about how bad their second basemen were a year ago.
Descalso should make them go from bad to (at the very least) not terrible. I think you’re undervaluing “not terrible.”
Max Frankel:
Not terrible is a good thing. The Yankees are going with not terrible at short, DH, and possibly right. The thing is that the Dodgers aren’t not terrible anywhere (maybe one or two spots) and the Giants are in the same boat. The Rockies are a long way off.
Now there are rumors that the Padres might be getting Wil Meyers from Tampa to go along with Matt Kemp and their pitching.
Its going to be a good division.
I think if Colorado can get a real centerfielder and 2 or maybe three good groundball pitchers, they could hang.
It’ll be really interesting to see what they do with Tulo and Cargo going forward though.
Sean Morash:
Completely agree. They’re biggest (and only) hope is if the two of them stay healthy and put up MVP-type numbers. If Morneau can do his thing while they do their thing, it’d be a good lineup.
In conclusion, the Descalso signing was likely a good first step for the Rockies. Hopefully the first of many if they want to compete.
-Sean Morash and Max Frankel
