This Changes Everything
Thu, Jul 28, 2005
by Geoff Young
Okay, not really. Pads have acquired catcher David Ross from the Pirates for minor-league infielder J.J. Furmaniak. Career numbers of Ross and erstwhile backup Miguel Ojeda:
Age G AB BA OBP SLG AB/HR XB/H ISO
Ojeda 30 166 370 .224 .308 .359 30.8 .301 .135
Ross 28 158 407 .211 .284 .403 21.4 .453 .192
Ross also has struck out in 28.6% of his big-league plate appearances. Here’s how he stacks up against other notable whiffmeisters (through July 28):
PA SO SO/PA AB/HR XB/H ISO
Russell Branyan 1617 573 .354 15.6 .505 .250
Rob Deer 4512 1409 .312 16.9 .458 .222
Ross 462 132 .286 21.4 .453 .192
Jose Hernandez 4835 1332 .276 26.8 .346 .170
Preston Wilson 3607 889 .246 19.8 .418 .216
Much smaller sample, of course, but that’s a pretty epic path he’s traveling. Also, I’d think if the Padres went outside the organization to bring in a guy who hits like this, Ojeda probably won’t be back up with the the big club any time soon. But I guess we already suspected as much.
If I ever see Ross patrolling the oufield while Xavier Nady rides pine, I’ll–well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I promise it won’t be pleasant.
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July 29, 2005 at 7:23 am
The tough part of following minor leaguers is when it becomes clear they’ve lost their “prospect” status … and become fodder (BA calls them “organizational players”).
JJ worked himself into being a prospect … a quality I like/admire … but not one that typically yields MLB fruit …
I had the pleasure of meeting his folks up at a Portland Beaver’s game last summer after his callup from Mobile (thanks to the discussion board at pdxbeavers.com) … what a treat to get to visit with them and hear some of what it had taken for JJ to get this far.
I’ll be keeping an eye on JJ … and rooting big time for him! Go, JJ!
July 29, 2005 at 8:57 am
Gosh - this is such a loser trade for the Padres. I confess to being a homer for some of the Beavers (usually just the good ones!) - but over on our board, I defined “Miguel Ojeda” as Spanish for “David Ross.”
Now that you’ve run the #’s Geoff - I think I insulted Ojeda. Why on earth would you trade anything beyond a sack of bats for a guy like Ross when you already have a guy just like him in your system?
Such a strang move - clearly Ojeda has no future in the organization. The Pads weren’t high enough on Furmaniak in my opinion, I suspected that for a while, looks like that was the case when you dump him for someone like Ross.
July 29, 2005 at 9:50 am
Ross played outstanding defense behind the plate this season before being demoted.
July 29, 2005 at 11:35 am
I saw Furmaniak play at Elsinore in 2002-03. Always been a little old for his league but he has good pop for an infielder and he plays the game right. I hope Furmaniak finds success with the Pirates.