Sunday, September 18, 2011

Jerkball 2012: Acquire Logan Morrison?




The Alex Anthopoulos led Blue Jays have had a knack for freeing talented but “troubled” players from the doghouses of other Major League teams. Acquiring a promising young player for what is often perceived as less than market value has recently been dubbed (read: it has surfaced once or twice as a twitter hash tag) Jerkball: the new market inefficiency. In terms of results, it’s been so far so good with Yunel Escobar, who is proving to be one of the better (and relatively inexpensive) shortstops in the league. While the jury is still out on Colby Rasmus, his upside has lead to many analysts calling the trade a win for the Blue Birds. Now keeping in mind that my trade musings are entirely theoretical (given that I know nothing of the asking price, availability, finances, negotiations, and everything else that is needed to make a major league trade), I think I have found the Blue Jay’s next Jerkball trade target.


The latest player to tweet his way out of favour with his current club is the Florida Marlins’ Logan Morrison. Since his August 13th demotion (and subsequent recall), Morrison has hit the club with a grievance that claims he was disciplined (demoted) without just cause. Whatever Morrison may or may not be tweeting about, he is barely 24 years old and sits second on the Marlins (among players with 100 PA) in HR, slugging percentage and wOBA. It’s also important to remember that this is Morrison underachieving. Blue Jay fans (myself included), love Adam Lind and Eric Thames. Lind and Thames are players you root for to succeed. The problem however, is that rooting for these guys to succeed doesn’t seem to help them get on base. Lind (.298) and Thames (.308) are both getting on base at well below league average rates. Acquiring Morrison would be a means of upgrading either position given that he possesses better on-base skills, comparable power, and most importantly, a higher ceiling.


As a left fielder, Morrison has a lot in common with Eric Thames. Neither are considered league average defenders at this point in their careers. However, Morrison has yet to show that he is the same defensive liability at first base, a position he played consistently in the minor leagues (Morrison has since been moved off first base to accommodate slugger Gaby Sanchez). Splitting Morrison’s time between left field, first base and DH would minimize the negative impact of Morrison’s defence. Playing Morrison would also limit Eric Thames (LF/DH) exposure to left handed pitching (.220 AVG/.250 OBP, albeit in a limited sample size), and allow the club to play him in situations where he is more likely to succeed (against right handed pitching).


Right now, Lind, Thames and Morrison have all been 0.7 WAR players this year. Last year, Baseball America and Project Prospect both had Morrison listed as the 19th best prospect in all of baseball. The all-knowing Keith Law had Morrison come in at #21. Let’s hope that Adam Lind can rebound, and hey as long as were hoping, why not hope that Eric Thames can become an average Major League regular. Morrison may not be available, and if he is, his asking price may be too high, but in the spirit of the Jerkball movement, why not take a chance on a player who is young, unhappy and has the unrealized potential that the Alex Anthopoulos run Blue Jays like so much.

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