Who Is the Mystery Trade Target?
By Earl Nash
Can you identify this potential Red Sox trade target?
"* He has played OF, 1b, 3b* His 7-year career batting: BA OBP SLG OPS"
".269"
".350"
".415"
".765"
* He is a switch hitter a patient/passive type hitter, who isn’t afraid to take close fastball with 2 strikes. His plate discipline numbers show that he has always been patient, swinging a little less than league average and swinging at pitches out of the zone a lot less (about 5 % less).
Scouts say:
“He has a pretty hard swing but isn’t overly violent, with a decent swing plane. He an hit the ball the other way with authority. He can also pull the ball well, relying on where the ball is pitched (like most good batting average hitters). It seems that his swing is more flat as a righty. Also looked like he wanted to chase the outside pitch more as a right hander.”
[http://seattlesportscentral.com/scouting-chase-headley/]
Here is his hot zones as a righty:
Here is his zones as a lefty (according to Brooks Baseball and Baseball Prospectus)
* He has a balanced splits ratio for a switch hitter.
Career as a left-handed batter: .759 OPS.
Career as a left-handed batter: .710 OPS.
* He would likely see an increase in HRs at Fenway; his current home field is a batter’s nightmare. His career BA is just .243 at home and .293 on the road.
* His HR/FB% is above average.
* His trend is a move to a more patient/power/strikeout hitter.
* He had a career year in 2012, hitting 31 home runs and posting a .286/.376/.498.
* Entering 2013, the 29-year-old broke the tip of his thumb in spring training last season and when he returned, could never quite get his season going. He hit only 13 home runs, .250/.347/.400 in 520 at-bats.
* He did undergo arthroscopic surgery during the offseason to repair a meniscus tear, but if he is on the trade block, there should be at least several teams interested. He will be a free agent in 2015.
2013 STATS:
BA OBP SLG OPS
| .250 | .347 | .400 | .747 |
13 HR, 50 RBI [in 2012: 31 HR, 115 RBI]
* He is an above average fielder at 3b.
Recently, Bleacher Report suggested a trade for this player:
“[His current team] could be willing to make a deal if the Sox were to include right-hander Anthony Ranaudo, who is coming off of a terrific season between Triple-A and Double-A (2.96 ERA, 140 IP, 112 H, 42 BB, 127 K), and up-and-coming second base prospect Mookie Betts (.923 OPS, 15 HR, 38 SB between High-A and Low-A), who isn’t getting to Boston anytime soon with Dustin Pedroia signed long-term.” [http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1855670-5-chase-headley-trade-ideas-that-make-the-most-sense/page/2]
"Can you guess his name?HINT: Use your head."
ANSWER [BELOW]
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Chase Headley
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