2012 Dodgers in Review #40: RP Randy Choate

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Mike Petriello Leave a reply

(w/ LA) 4.05 ERA 4.89 FIP 13.1 IP 7.43 K/9 6.08 BB/9 fWAR B-

2012 in brief: “Other guy” in Hanley Ramirez trade proved to be an effective LOOGY out of the pen.

2013 status: Signed a three-year deal with St. Louis because that’s apparently a thing that can happen for 37-year-old specialists now.

******.

It may rightfully be remembered as “the Hanley Ramirez” trade, and I think I’d have liked the deal just the same even if it was only Ramirez, but we tried to remember at the time that there was another player headed to the Dodgers also:

Of course, it’s not just Ramirez coming, because Randy Choate fills a need as well. The 36-year-old lefty has pitched in parts of 12 big league seasons for the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rays, and Marlins, including an absurd 85 games for Tampa in 2010. While I’ve liked Scott Elbert‘s performance just fine, he’s not your typical lefty reliever in that he actually gets righties out better than fellow southpaws. Over Choate’s career, lefties hit just .203/.277/.285 against him, and this year it’s just .150/.200/.183. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, his OPS vs lefties of .454 is the best in baseball since 2009, minimum 300 PA.. He may not be a big name, but he absolutely fills a need.

Elbert injured his elbow just days after Choate arrived, making him the only lefty pitcher in the bullpen for much of the rest of the season until Paco Rodriguez arrived. The Dodgers got their money’s worth out of him, at least: Choate made it into 36 games despite being on the roster for just barely over two months, but only twice in that time – his first two games with the Dodgers, actually – did he pitch even so much as an inning. In fact, 28 times he threw eight pitches or fewer, which is great work if you can get it.

It also makes reviewing Choate’s work difficult, because when you’re generally having such little impact upon a game, it means your name doesn’t come up all that often. On one hand, that’s a good thing, because the best middle reliever is the one who keeps himself out of the headlines; on the other, there’s not a whole lot of notable moments to look back upon. So we’ll say this: when Choate was called upon to face lefties, he did his job, holding them to only a .171/.300/.268 line in 51 PA. When he was asked to face righties… uh, well, maybe Don Mattingly shouldn’t have asked him to do that. (.600/.692/.600 in 13 PA.)

While the Dodgers had interest in retaining him, I’m pretty sure there’s not a soul among us who really wishes they’d matched the three-year deal the Cardinals gave him, so that’s the end of a short Los Angeles career.

******

Next up! Sigh. It’s Matt Guerrier.

244 comments

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Mike Petriello moderator

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Disgruntled Goat moderator

does the signing of swisher effectively end the ethier trade talks?

Lobo(Middling Member of Trade Ethier Bandwagon)

I don't think the talks will end until Bourn signs elsewhere.

Disgruntled Goat moderator

@Lobo i was under the impression bourn was less of a good fit due to lack of power/production replacement. they'd have to get that at 3rd maybe.

Disgruntled Goat moderator

@Lobo sorta depends on what comes back from Dre, seems like some of the trades rumors have been for pitching prospects - not against that, but it s not 'right now' sort of fix.

Disgruntled Goat moderator

@Lobo i very much like the ide of bourn/crawford at the top of the lineup.

Lobo(Middling Member of Trade Ethier Bandwagon)

@Disgruntled Goat We probably need a guy like Bourn more than we need a guy like Swisher though. Between Kemp and Gonzalez we've got 2 guys who should both reach 30 home runs and both could hit 35-40 if they have a strong year. Hanley should contribute another 20-25 and Crawford could hit 15 or so if he plays the whole year at a decent level. Ethier only hit 20 home runs last year which isn't a small amount but isn't an irreplaceable amount either. Bourn can probably contribute about 5 home runs so there you go. Between him and Crawford there's the 20 homers we lose by trading Dre. Plus, Bourn would hit at the top of the lineup with Crawford probably batting 2nd so we've also avoided the nightmare of having Mark Ellis bat 1 or 2.

Disgruntled Goat moderator

i'm talking to you @Mike Petriello

Deuce

This Hall of Fame thing is becoming a joke. I'm watching MLB the other night and Keith Olbermann says he wouldn't vote for Schiling because he doesn't like him. Thankfully, I don't think he has a vote. Why are the steroid era guys being singled out on this "morals clause?" Corked bats, spitballs, cutting baseballs, amphetamines are cool but we're going to keep obvious HOF guys out now? And now I hear guys saying they won't vote for Bagwell and Piazza because they suspect them of using. I suspect some of these pre-1947 guys would have a hard time even making a team today.

Catfacts

@Deuce Isn't he a political commentator? What the fuck is his ass doing on MLBN anyway?

DBrim moderator

@Catfishin @Deuce before he did MSNBC (for whom he no longer works) he worked at espn.

dodgerccp

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Could and/or should the Dodgers sign Nick Swisher for one yr? He could be a great addition for LA backing up at 1B, RF & LF. His options for the long-term deal he wants seems limited now. Happy Holidays to all, and Go Blue!