On Some Minor League Additions

Over the last few days, the Mariners have picked up a few players on minor league deals. This is a post about them.

Luis Rodriguez: Rodriguez is a 30 year old shortstop who’s accumulated 984 major league plate appearances since 2005. Historically, he’s been an awful hitter and a mediocre fielder, though he showed some offensive promise during his 2010 stint with the White Sox AAA affiliate. Over 400 plate appearances, he hit 16 home runs and posted an .856 OPS, and that was with a .281 BABIP. This isn’t enough of a sample to assert that he’s completely turned it around, but he’s an interesting case nonetheless, and certainly worth a flier.

Charlie Haeger: Haeger is a 27 year old RHP, mostly notable because of the fact that he throws a knuckleball. He’s been bouncing around between AAA and MLB since 2006, never really putting together a respectable season, and he was absolutely awful last year with the Dodgers. To summarize, his probably isn’t a name you’ll need to remember.

Fabio Castro: A 25 year old lefty, Castro hasn’t seen major league time since 2007, in which he pitched 12 innings for the Phillies. He spent the 2010 season with the Red Sox AAA affiliate, where he posted a 3.89 FIP despite terrible luck on balls in play, and struck out 8.83 hitters per nine innings. Walks are an issue, though, as he’s never sustained a rate of under 3.75 per nine in seasons of 100 IP or more. He’ll get an invite to Spring Training, and will likely have a shot at that lefty specialist job in the Mariner bullpen.

Chris Smith: Chris Smith is a RH reliever, and from what I can gather, there isn’t really anything interesting about him.