Another shutout…

Hey, maybe we will get a higher draft pick out of this tragedy…

#SilverLining

PS. And tonight’s Pitch F/X for Zach Stewart says fastball/slider reliever and nothing more.

Other White Sox links:

• James looks at the Sox offense’s clutch hitting, recalls some great moments in infield throws, and reviews the waiver wire situation.
• J.J. explains the problems with a hypothetical Jim Thome acquisition.

Did the Sox place a waiver claim on Jim Thome? [UPDATE]

Schouwen @ CST:

A source said the Sox were one of several teams putting a claim in for Thome, whose mere presence in the clubhouse would be a plus. It wouldn’t hurt Dunn and those Sox who didn’t play with Thome in 2006-09 to watch the future Hall of Famer approach his every-day job and the designated hitter role.

What do you say Ozzie?

“I’d love to add Jim Thome back, to be honest with you,” said Guillen, who was looking for a more versatile designated hitter that also could play the field when Thome left for Minnesota in 2010. “A lot of people think I don’t want Jimmy. It was just at that time we didn’t have any place for him.”

Yeah, we had room for Mark Kotsay but not Jim Thome.

“But I have said day in and day out that Jimmy is one of my favorite guys in baseball. That’s up to [general manger] Kenny [Williams]. I don’t know if we’re going to have five DHs. I don’t expect him to be here, but if they want to bring him here, if you ask anybody wearing this uniform if they want Jim Thome back, everybody here would say yes. But that’s not our department.”

UPDATE: I forgot this last night the Sox may be blocking Cleveland from getting Thome. And we see today that they may have claimed another lefty: OF/DH Jason Kubel.

Other White Sox links:

• J.J. looks at Detroit’s remaining schedule and doesn’t like what he sees.
• James can’t dislike Zach Stewart anymore and recaps the past week.
• Mike explains how to fire Greg Walker and says that the Sox need to go on a winning streak and drop the ‘winning series’ concept.
• Fangraphs looks for a player similar to Brent Lillibridge and comes up with Jeff Liefer. J.J. says there’s a better comparable: Pablo Ozuna. Pablo!

Kenny Williams is angry

Merkin @ CWS:

“Go get the inspirational speeches from someone else. I’m [angry],” Williams told MLB.com, responding to a question concerning the White Sox chances to claim an American League Central over the final 40 games. “This team should be 10 games over .500 right now.

“That’s the bad news. The good news is we still have time to right the ship. But if you are looking for inspiration, or anyone is, or pats on the back from this recent surge, you are looking at the wrong person. I’ll give you a pat on the back if you end up in first place.”

Williams said that anything short of winning the division would be an obvious disappointment, adding that winning the division really isn’t even good enough in the White Sox championship-oriented minds. He acknowledged, as an example, being impressed by Alejandro De Aza’s play since called up to the big league club, as the outfielder is batting .310 and infusing life into the White Sox lineup.

But he added that he’ll be more impressed if De Aza keeps it up.

“Nothing is going to impress me the rest of the year unless we are in first place at the end,” Williams said. “Other than that, it’s just find a way to win today.”

Other White Sox links:

• James takes a look at Gordon Beckham’s struggles, and Zach Stewart’s, brief, move to the bullpen.
• J.J. says the Sox may not see much, if any, dropoff with Tyler Flowers taking over the catcher’s job and that Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn should be at the top of the list Cubs GM candidates. Fangraphs agrees.
• colin takes a look at Zach Stewart and Mike takes a look at Brent Morel.
• Satchel Price at BTB says the Sox should be spending more at the draft. Baseball America crunched the numbers and the Sox spent the least in the draft in 2011 but the 2007-2011 period as well.
• Chuck Garfien tells us about Jim Thome’s late mother Joyce and Brett Ballantini update his Sox player values calculations.

Is Don Cooper working his magic?

If you're wondering why Zach Stewart has looked this good, Sox made an adjustment after they got him. It's working.—
Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) August 19, 2011

Will Kenny Williams try to trade for Logan Morrison? [UPDATE]

Capozzi @ PBP:

[T]he Marlins made two moves that shocked the clubhouse Saturday night: They optioned left fielder Logan Morrison to the minors and released veteran infielder Wes Helms. Morrison said he was stunned by the news and suggested his demotion and Helms’ release had something to do with an off-field incident on which he refused to elaborate. “I’m heartbroken and I’m disappointed,’ Morrison said, his voice shaking. “I asked for an explanation and the one I got was I was hitting .240 I don’t know if that makes any sense to me or to you guys but. All I know is I go out and I give everything for this team. I play hurt, I play through injury and this is how you get treated. It doesn’t seem very fair or right to me.’ Morrison, who is batting .249 with 17 homers and 60 RBI, has been outspoken about moves the front office has made. Both he and Helms have been critical about teammate Hanley Ramirez …

Before the game, Morrison spent a good half hour sitting in the dugout talking to General Manager Mike Hill while the Giants took batting practice. “Right now I just feel resentment and anger,’ Morrison said after the game. “Stand up for what’s right and this happens.’ …

One team source believes the team the team is sending a message, “To me it’s a lesson, concentrate on the game and stop trying to be so funny.”

Remember last year the Sox wanted a Florida player for Ozzie Guillen? That player was rumored to be Logan Morrison.

And here are Morrison’s stats:

Standard Batting

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
2006	18	FLA-min	Rk,A-	49	187	163	16	39	7	0	2	18	1	0	21	29	.239	.321	.319	.640		52	4	0	0	3	0	JUM,JAM · GULF,NYPL
2007	19	FLA-min	A	128	513	453	71	121	22	2	24	86	2	2	48	96	.267	.343	.483	.827		219	8	7	0	5	5	GBO · SALL
2008	20	FLA-min	A+	130	555	488	71	162	38	1	13	74	9	3	57	80	.332	.402	.494	.896		241	11	4	0	6	6	JUP · FLOR
2009	21	FLA-min	AA,A+	82	355	289	48	80	19	2	8	49	9	5	64	48	.277	.408	.439	.848		127	5	1	0	1	5	JCK,JUP · SOUL,FLOR
2010	22	FLA-min	AAA,A+	73	314	259	39	81	19	6	6	47	1	2	48	38	.313	.424	.502	.925		130	6	4	0	3	4	NOR,JUP · PCL,FLOR
2010	22	FLA	NL	62	287	244	43	69	20	7	2	18	0	1	41	51	.283	.390	.447	.837	123	109	4	2	0	0	0	7
2011	23	FLA-min	A+	3	13	10	2	2	0	0	1	3	0	0	3	4	.200	.385	.500	.885		5	1	0	0	0	0	JUP · FLOR
2011	23	FLA	NL	95	410	362	40	90	21	3	17	60	2	1	39	80	.249	.327	.464	.791	114	168	6	5	0	4	1	*7/3D
2 Seasons				157	697	606	83	159	41	10	19	78	2	2	80	131	.262	.353	.457	.810	118	277	10	7	0	4	1
162 Game Avg.				162	719	625	86	164	42	10	20	80	2	2	83	135	.262	.353	.457	.810	118	286	10	7	0	4	1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/14/2011.

Advanced Batting

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	PA	Outs	RC	RC/G	AIR	BAbip	BA	lgBA	OBP	lgOBP	SLG	lgSLG	OPS	lgOPS	OPS+	OWn%	BtRuns	BtWins	TotA	SecA	ISO	PwrSpd
2010	22	FLA	NL	287	180	45	6.7	105	.351	.283	.265	.390	.336	.447	.418	.837	.754	123	.666	9.4	0.9	.839	.328	.164	.0
2011	23	FLA	NL	410	283	56	5.3	99	.271	.249	.261	.327	.329	.464	.405	.791	.734	114	.583	6.7	0.7	.763	.326	.215	3.6
2 Seasons				697	463	101	5.8	102	.304	.262	.263	.353	.332	.457	.410	.810	.742	118	.619	16.0	1.6	.793	.327	.195	3.6
162 Game Avg.				719	478	104	5.8	102	.304	.262	.263	.353	.332	.457	.410	.810	.742	118	.619	17	2	.793	.327	.195	4

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/14/2011.

Ratio Batting

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	PA	HR%	SO%	BB%	XBH%	X/H%	SO/BB	AB/SO	AB/HR	AB/RBI	GB/FB	GO/AO	IP%	LD%	HR/FB	IF/FB
2010	22	FLA	NL	287	0.7%	17.8%	14.3%	10.1%	42%	1.24	4.8	122.0	13.6	0.95	1.52	67%	21%	2.2%	9%
2011	23	FLA	NL	410	4.2%	19.5%	9.5%	10.0%	46%	2.05	4.5	21.3	6.0	0.85	1.24	66%	21%	12.6%	13%
2 Seasons				697	2.7%	18.8%	11.5%	10.0%	44%	1.64	4.6	31.9	7.8	0.89	1.34	66%	21%	8.4%	11%
MLB Averages					2.4%	18.5%	8.4%	7.5%	33%	2.21	4.8	36.6	8.3	0.81	1.08	69%	19%	7.2%	13%

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/14/2011.

Player Value

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	PA	Rbat	Rbaser	Rroe	Rdp	Rfield	Rpos	Rrep	RAR	WAR	oRAR	oWAR	dWAR	Salary	Pos	Awards
2010	22	FLA	NL	287	9	1	0	1	-6	-3	8	10	1.0	16	1.6	-0.6	$	7
2011	23	FLA	NL	410	7	-2	-0	1	-17	-5	11	-5	-0.5	12	1.3	-1.8	$	*7/3D
2 Seasons				697	16	-1	0	2	-23	-8	19	5	0.5	28	2.9	-2.4	$

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/14/2011.

Win Probability

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	BtRuns	BtWins	Plays	WPA	WPA+	WPA-	aLI	WPA/LI	Clutch	RE24	REW	boLI	RE24/boLI	PHlev	AB
2010	22	FLA	NL	8.9	0.9	296	1.1	4.8	-3.7	.82	1.4	-0.0	15.4	1.5	0.89	15.1		0
2011	23	FLA	NL	6.7	0.7	419	1.2	8.2	-7.0	1.07	1.5	-0.3	10.2	1.0	1.03	8.4	2.45	1
2 Seasons				15.6	1.5	715	2.3	12.9	-10.7	.97	2.8	-0.5	25.6	2.5	0.98	23.6	2.45	1

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/14/2011.

UPDATE: Morrison is considering filing a grievance:

Logan Morrison plans to consult the player’s union to see if he has any grounds for a grievance against the Marlins for optioning him late Saturday to Class AAA New Orleans.

“We are going to, with absolute certainty, explore this and contact the union and make sure Logan’s rights are protected,’’ said Fred Wray, Morrison’s agent. “It doesn’t seem like everything adds up here.’’

Hardball Talk’s Drew Silva:

But the fact that LoMo is upset enough to consider the action, and not comfortable enough to settle matters behind closed doors, tells you something about the crumbling relationship between player and management.

Other White Sox links:

• J.J. looks at Mark Buehrle’s 18-game streak of allowing 3 or fewer runs and two of the latest Sox nemeses.
• James looks at the Sox shortstop backup and whether Phil Humber or Zach Stewart will take the 5th spot in a 5-man rotation.
• THT’s Bruce Markusen looks at the first game of a doubleheader between the Sox and the Royals on Aug. 8, 1976.

Pitch F/X for Zach Stewart

8/12:

Chi White Sox	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Stewart(L, 1-2)	6.1	7	2	2	2	3	1	3.68
Ohman	0.2	0	0	0	1	0	0	3.96
Frasor	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	3.64
Thornton	1.1	3	3	3	0	2	1	4.02
Totals	9.0	11	5	5	3	6	2	3.81

Zach Stewart:

Pitch Statistics
Pitch Type	Avg Speed	Max Speed	Avg H-Break	Avg V-Break	Count	Strikes / %	Swinging Strikes / %	Linear Weights	Time to Plate
FF (FourSeam Fastball)	90.72	94.5	-5.01	8.26	59	40 / 67.80%	3 / 5.08%	-1.7312	0.416
CH (Changeup)	84.03	85.3	-5.60	6.24	3	2 / 66.67%	1 / 33.33%	-0.0399	0.446
SL (Slider)	82.49	86.8	6.27	-0.57	24	18 / 75.00%	3 / 12.50%	1.5214	0.457
FT (TwoSeam Fastball)	89.25	89.8	-8.85	6.88	2	0 / 0.00%	0 / 0.00%	0.0982	0.428
Pitch classifications provided by the Gameday Algorithm and may be inaccurate.Pitch Type LWTS correspond to how many runs were likely to score on a particular pitch based on average run expectancy when each pitch was thrown and what happened as a result. Negative scores indicate more effective pitches.Time to Plate is the time, in seconds, that it takes an average pitch of this type to reach the plate. This is strongly correlated with velocity, but also factors in movement.

Inning-by-Inning Pitch Totals
Inning	Pitches in Inning	Strikes in Inning	Strike% in Inning	Cumulative Total Pitches	Pitch LWTS in Inning
1	20	13	65.00	20	0.738
2	14	10	71.43	34	-0.848
3	11	6	54.55	45	-0.518
4	9	8	88.89	54	-0.848
5	10	7	70.00	64	-0.834
6	11	9	81.82	75	1.109
7	13	7	53.85	88	1.050

5 non-fastball/slider pitchers. A tiny tiny bit better from start #1.

Another plus: “Groundouts-flyouts Stewart 10-4.” Last time it was “Groundouts-flyouts: Stewart 13-1.”

Has Jake Peavy turned the corner?

Axisa @ FG:

Injuries and the shift into a tougher park in the tougher league have caused Peavy’s career to stall over the last two years or so, but he’s shown signs of getting back on track over his last four starts. He dominated the weak-hitting Twins yesterday (8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K) and more than held his own against the Yankees earlier in the week (7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K), and the good news that he’s consistently throwing 100+ pitches without showing signs of falling off in the later innings. He had a problem once his pitch count got past 75-80 earlier in the year and last season as well.

Seems like Peavy is slowly getting his strength back after last season’s injury.

Other White Sox links:

• J.J. bids farewell to Brian Bruney and says the Sox haven’t turned the season around just because they swept the Twinkies.
• James recaps the past week and looks at Zach Stewart’s promotion.
• Mike gives us 6 reasons the Sox should stick with the 6-man rotation.

Pitch F/X for tonight’s Zach Stewart start

Pitch F/X tool:

Pitch Statistics
Pitch Type	Avg Speed	Max Speed	Avg H-Break	Avg V-Break	Count	Strikes / %	Swinging Strikes / %	Linear Weights	Time to Plate
FF (FourSeam Fastball)	91.99	94.9	-3.45	7.28	50	37 / 74.00%	2 / 4.00%	0.3980	0.406
CH (Changeup)	83.60	83.6	-2.18	8.22	1	1 / 100.00%	0 / 0.00%	-0.2348	0.441
SL (Slider)	84.33	87.1	5.90	-0.24	28	17 / 60.71%	1 / 3.57%	0.1354	0.443
Pitch classifications provided by the Gameday Algorithm and may be inaccurate.Pitch Type LWTS correspond to how many runs were likely to score on a particular pitch based on average run expectancy when each pitch was thrown and what happened as a result. Negative scores indicate more effective pitches.Time to Plate is the time, in seconds, that it takes an average pitch of this type to reach the plate. This is strongly correlated with velocity, but also factors in movement.

Inning-by-Inning Pitch Totals
Inning	Pitches in Inning	Strikes in Inning	Strike% in Inning	Cumulative Total Pitches	Pitch LWTS in Inning
1	13	9	69.23	13	-0.019
2	15	12	80.00	28	-0.335
3	5	4	80.00	33	-0.834
4	13	7	53.85	46	-0.518
5	17	11	64.71	63	0.772
6	12	9	75.00	75	0.767
7	4	3	75.00	79	0.465

Graphs inside

Brian Bruney DFA’d; Zach Stewart to start tomorrow

Zach Stewart to start Sat. Bruney DFA. Peavy pushed back a day—
Doug Padilla (@ESPNChiSox) August 06, 2011

Stewart made 1 start after being traded, Sunday with Charlotte:

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Stewart (L, 0-1)	6.1	10	3	3	0	5	0	4.26
Reed	1.2	0	0	0	0	3	0	2.45

THT’s Jeff Moore talks about Zach Stewart

Moore @ THT:

… Called up for a cameo in the majors earlier this year, Stewart made three starts, two of which were okay and one of which was horrendous. Stewart spent his time in the Jays system at Double-A, a repeat assignment from last year that turned in similar results. Now with the White Sox, Stewart has been assigned to Triple-A.

Stewart is not an ace in the making, but could still be a reliable mid-rotation starter. If his change-up never fully develops the way a few organizations have now hoped it will, he can be a reliable bullpen arm, which is the path Cincinnati had him on prior to 2009.

Kenny probably closes shop [UPDATE]

Merkin @ CWS:

“Is there a chance that we could have a different look? Absolutely there’s a ‘chance,’” Williams said. “I would say that chance is very, very slim.

“I don’t see anything on the horizon and everything that potentially can be done comes at a sacrifice of the guys that I expect we would need to try to win this division. So, very unlikely.”

UPDATE: Ballantini @ CSN:

Williams also admitted that most of the calls he’s getting from GMs at this point are of the prank variety.

“I’ve got a lot of friends in the game, so some of them are calling just to check in, make sure we are kind of where we are,” Williams smiled. “There’s a lot of rumors out there about us going either way, either being buyers or sellers, so there’s people checking in. Then there’s some of the more smart aleck friends of mine in the general manager ranks that are calling with humorous anecdotes as to what’s going on. It’s just that time of year. I think it’s the most fun time to be a general manager that there is during the calendar year.”

Other White Sox links: U-God writes a pretty awesome ‘Kenny Williams at the trade deadline’ simulator, James says if the Sox decide to trade Carlos Quentin they shouldn’t stop there, Mike looks at the Edwin Jackson/Mark Teahen for Jason Frasor/Zach Stewart trade, and 2011 supplemental 1st round pick Keenyn Walker was promoted to the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators.

Keith Law’s Zach Stewart scouting report

Rogers @ CT:

ESPN’s Keith Law seems to have the same viewpoint of Zach Stewart that the White Sox expressed after acquiring him in the Jackson trade. Here’s what he wrote about him after scouting an appearance by Jackson late last season: “Stewart showed four pitches, pitching at 90-96 with sink and some tail with a tight, out-pitch slider at 83-87 that he threw for strikes, even back-dooring it to left-handed hitters for called strikes. His changeup was the biggest surprise, as another scout at the game told me he hadn’t seen it this good before; it’s mostly straight but has good separation from the fastball at 81-85 and his arm speed is excellent. He also used a fringy curveball with good depth but he didn’t command the pitch as well as he did the slider. Stewart worked aggressively with everything and had good tempo. He stays over the rubber before driving forward with a long stride, although his arm action is a little long in the back and he pronates relatively late in the delivery. I know several scouts see Stewart as a sinker/slider pen guy, but I see four pitches, a good frame, and a pitcher who likes to attack hitters. I see a potential No. 2 starter, maybe a No. 3 if the changeup isn’t always where it was tonight.”

Stewart has failed to take another step forward in 2011 but Law still believes they got a guy who Don Cooper could help turn into a solid big-league starter. Here’s what he wrote on Wednesday after the Jackson trade: “Stewart is a classic sinker-slider starter with great movement on a low-90s sinker that will touch the mid-90s; his control took a step forward this year but he wasn’t getting as many ground balls, which is more a question of his pitching plan than a lack of life on the fastball. His slider is his best offspeed pitch, tight at 83-87 with good tilt, and he commands the pitch well, throwing it to both sides of the plate. He’s got a solid, average-or-better changeup and showed no platoon split this year. With a show-me curveball and good control, he should be given every opportunity to start for Chicago, and I like pitching coach Don Cooper’s chances to turn Stewart into at least a mid-rotation starter if not more.”

Kevin Goldstein won’t agree with Mr. Law:

I've never understood people projecting Stewart as a No. 3 or even better starter. No. 4 or 8th inning guy is more realistic.—
Kevin Goldstein (@Kevin_Goldstein) July 27, 2011

In which Kenny Williams puts everyone ‘On Notice’

From Kenny Williams’ comments after today’s trade:

On more trade opportunities:

… The other part of doing what we ended up doing today allowed us to get (Alejandro) De Aza in the lineup and in centerfield to afford Ozzie more than Rios has been giving us.  Rios is going to have to take a backseat now and we’re going to see if De Aza can give us a little bit of a spark and provide us with a way to manufacture some runs.”

On who to play, who to sit:

“Here’s what I told Ozzie: don’t worry about the size of the contracts, just worry about putting the players out there on a given day that can help you win.  The size of the contracts is not Ozzie’s problem, it’s not Jerry’s problem, it’s not the coaches’ problem, it’s my problem.  So, put the players on the field that can win and I don’t give a darn if one guy is making $400,000 and the other guy is making $12 million. I’m sending a message to everyone.”

Kenny continues:

“Throw the contracts and salaries aside. If we’ve got $20 [million] or $30 million sitting on the bench, then that’s a Kenny Williams problem. That’s not Ozzie’s problem. We’ll have pretty good pinch-hitters.”

Video of Kenny (2:16).

and Ozzie Guillen:

“We’ve talked about it maybe three times about how we feel about [Rios]. I don’t think you bring people [up] to push people to get better,” Guillen said. “I think you bring people [up] to make the ballclub better, and hopefully that move does that.”

Other White Sox links: James looks at the Edwin Jackson/Mark Teahen for Jason Frasor/Zach Stewart trade, and Kevin Goldstein tweets that he doesn’t like the aforementioned trade.

Scouting reports on newest Sox prospect RHP Zach Stewart

Sickels @ MLBall:

He uses a 90 MPH sinker, a slider, an improved change, and an occasional curve. You can find a full report on him here on the link below. I make him as a Grade B/B- type right now, with his stock having slipped some over the last year. He could make a good inning-eater with a decent defense behind him, or he could dominate more readily if used in the pen.

Sickels @ MLBall (June 16):

Stewart threw 95-96 MPH in the bullpen but has settled into the 89-93 range as a starter, though his fastball has sinking action. His best secondary pitch is an effective variable-speed slider. His changeup has improved over the last year and rates as average overall, sometimes better than average, sometimes a bit worse. He’s made great progress refining his mechanics and command since college, and has shown the ability to eat innings without ill-effect.

Sickels @ MLBall (January 9):

4) Zach Stewart, RHP, Grade B+: His stock has dropped a little, but I still like him. If he can’t cut it as a starter he can close.

Eddy @ BA:

Stewart works quickly and throws four pitches for strikes, making him a future mid-rotation candidate for Chicago. His fastball features sinking and tailing action at 88-92 mph, while his quality low-80s slider functions as his No. 2 pitch. Stewart worked in a mid-80s changeup more frequently this season with New Hampshire, and he sells the change of pace with good arm speed. He also surprises opponents with a seldom-used curveball.

Anderson @ BP:

Frasor is a nice enough reliever with a modest price tag for next season that comes in the form of a club option. Being the prospect in the deal, Stewart’s perceived upside is higher. Stewart has what you’d want in a starting pitcher. He throws hard (reaching the mid-90s with his fastball) and has a vicious slider. The problem, though, is that he lacks a third pitch, and his statistical track record in the minor leagues is underwhelming for a pitcher with his profile.  At 24, Stewart has appeared in 20 Triple-A games (all in relief) and has spent this season back in the rotation at Double-A New Hampshire, striking out seven batters per nine innings pitched while allowing more than a hit per inning pitched and holding a 4.20 earned run average. The cons have led some, like Kevin Goldstein, to believe his upside (twitter) might be limited to that of a number four starter or set-up man.

Hulet @ FG:

His repertoire includes an 89-94 mph fastball, good slider, and changeup. Stewart produces easy velocity and has a solid delivery with minimal effort. He utilizes a low three-quarter arm angle. At worst, the right-hander should become a successful high-leverage reliever in the eighth or ninth inning.

Padilla @ ESPN:

As recently as last season in the minor leagues, Stewart had a fastball was clocking in as high as 97 mph. He isn’t throwing as hard but can still touch 93-94 mph on the radar gun, although sits a bit lower than that consistently. He relies mainly on a sinking fastball and slider.

For more links to prospect lists go to fantasyrundown’s ’2011 MLB Prospects’ index.

White Sox trade Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen to Toronto for reliever Jason Frasor and pitching prospect Zach Stewart

Merkin @ CWS:

The White Sox and Blue Jays completed a trade Wednesday that sent Chicago starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen to Toronto in exchange for reliever Jason Frasor and pitching prospect Zach Stewart. …

Let’s see what B-R says for the 2 guys that came back. For Jason Frasor:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	ERA+	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB	Awards
1999	21	DET-min	A-,A	5	4	.556	1.96	16	15	0	1	1	0	82.2	53	26	18	5	31	0	102	3	5	3	326		1.016	5.8	0.5	3.4	11.1	3.29	ONE,WMI · NYPL,MIDW
2000	22	DET-min	A	5	3	.625	3.28	14	14	0	0	0	0	71.1	55	32	26	2	29	0	65	4	1	5	300		1.178	6.9	0.3	3.7	8.2	2.24	WMI · MIDW
2002	24	DET-min	A+	5	6	.455	3.54	24	24	0	0	0	0	117.0	112	54	46	10	46	1	87	8	2	2	494		1.350	8.6	0.8	3.5	6.7	1.89	LAK · FLOR
2003	25	LAD-min	AA,A+	2	0	1.000	2.51	50	0	41	0	0	23	61.0	49	21	17	2	18	0	86	1	1	1	248		1.098	7.2	0.3	2.7	12.7	4.78	JCK,VRO · SOUL,FLOR
2004	26	TOR-min	AAA	0	0		2.25	3	0	2	0	0	0	4.0	1	1	1	0	5	0	6	0	0	0	18		1.500	2.2	0.0	11.2	13.5	1.20	SYR · IL
2004	26	TOR	AL	4	6	.400	4.08	63	0	37	0	0	17	68.1	64	31	31	4	36	3	54	2	2	4	299	119	1.463	8.4	0.5	4.7	7.1	1.50
2005	27	TOR	AL	3	5	.375	3.25	67	0	12	0	0	1	74.2	67	31	27	8	28	2	62	3	0	1	305	137	1.272	8.1	1.0	3.4	7.5	2.21
2006	28	TOR-min	AAA	3	1	.750	3.98	18	0	6	0	0	1	20.1	21	10	9	1	13	0	33	0	0	3	92		1.672	9.3	0.4	5.8	14.6	2.54	SYR · IL
2006	28	TOR	AL	3	2	.600	4.32	51	0	12	0	0	0	50.0	47	24	24	8	17	1	51	2	0	3	215	106	1.280	8.5	1.4	3.1	9.2	3.00
2007	29	TOR	AL	1	5	.167	4.58	51	0	18	0	0	3	57.0	47	29	29	3	23	1	59	2	1	2	242	98	1.228	7.4	0.5	3.6	9.3	2.57
2008	30	TOR	AL	1	2	.333	4.18	49	0	21	0	0	0	47.1	36	23	22	4	32	4	42	1	0	6	208	102	1.437	6.8	0.8	6.1	8.0	1.31
2009	31	TOR	AL	7	3	.700	2.50	61	0	36	0	0	11	57.2	43	17	16	4	16	3	56	2	0	2	227	178	1.023	6.7	0.6	2.5	8.7	3.50
2010	32	TOR	AL	3	4	.429	3.68	69	0	18	0	0	4	63.2	61	30	26	4	27	6	65	4	0	5	279	114	1.382	8.6	0.6	3.8	9.2	2.41
2011	33	TOR	AL	2	1	.667	2.98	44	0	6	0	0	0	42.1	38	15	14	4	15	1	37	2	0	2	178	137	1.252	8.1	0.9	3.2	7.9	2.47
8 Seasons				24	28	.462	3.69	455	0	160	0	0	36	461.0	403	200	189	39	194	21	426	18	3	25	1953	120	1.295	7.9	0.8	3.8	8.3	2.20
162 Game Avg.				4	4	.462	3.69	68	0	24	0	0	5	69	60	30	28	6	29	3	64	3	0	4	292	120	1.295	7.9	0.8	3.8	8.3	2.20

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/27/2011.

and Zach Stewart:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2008	21	2 Teams	2 Lgs	A+-A	CIN	1	4	.200	1.09	24	0	21	0	0	5	33.0	26	7	4	0	14	2	36	2	0	0	136	1.212	7.1	0.0	3.8	9.8	2.57
2008	21	Dayton	MIDW	A	CIN	1	2	.333	0.55	11	0	10	0	0	3	16.1	10	2	1	0	3	0	13	1	0	0	61	0.796	5.5	0.0	1.7	7.2	4.33
2008	21	Sarasota	FLOR	A+	CIN	0	2	.000	1.62	13	0	11	0	0	2	16.2	16	5	3	0	11	2	23	1	0	0	75	1.620	8.6	0.0	5.9	12.4	2.09
2009	22	4 Teams	4 Lgs	A+-AA-AAA	TOR,CIN	4	1	.800	1.89	34	14	7	1	0	2	105.0	105	34	22	3	32	0	93	2	0	4	439	1.305	9.0	0.3	2.7	8.0	2.91
2009	22	Sarasota	FLOR	A+	CIN	1	1	.500	2.13	7	7	0	1	0	0	42.1	47	17	10	1	8	0	32	1	0	1	177	1.299	10.0	0.2	1.7	6.8	4.00
2009	22	Carolina	SOUL	AA	CIN	3	0	1.000	1.46	7	7	0	0	0	0	37.0	29	7	6	1	10	0	31	1	0	1	145	1.054	7.1	0.2	2.4	7.5	3.10
2009	22	Las Vegas	PCL	AAA	TOR	0	0		3.38	11	0	3	0	0	0	13.1	18	8	5	1	6	0	14	0	0	1	62	1.800	12.2	0.7	4.0	9.4	2.33
2009	22	Louisville	IL	AAA	CIN	0	0		0.73	9	0	4	0	0	2	12.1	11	2	1	0	8	0	16	0	0	1	55	1.541	8.0	0.0	5.8	11.7	2.00
2010	23	New Hampshire	EL	AA	TOR	8	3	.727	3.63	26	26	0	0	0	0	136.1	131	59	55	13	54	0	106	5	2	5	575	1.357	8.6	0.9	3.6	7.0	1.96
2011	24	New Hampshire	EL	AA	TOR	5	5	.500	4.20	16	16	0	1	0	0	94.1	106	49	44	6	27	0	74	1	1	3	403	1.410	10.1	0.6	2.6	7.1	2.74
4 Seasons						18	13	.581	3.05	100	56	28	2	0	7	368.2	368	149	125	22	127	2	309	10	3	12	1553	1.343	9.0	0.5	3.1	7.5	2.43
AA (3 seasons)				AA		16	8	.667	3.53	49	49	0	1	0	0	267.2	266	115	105	20	91	0	211	7	3	9	1123	1.334	8.9	0.7	3.1	7.1	2.32
AAA (1 season)				AAA		0	0		2.10	20	0	7	0	0	2	25.2	29	10	6	1	14	0	30	0	0	2	117	1.675	10.2	0.4	4.9	10.5	2.14
A+ (2 seasons)				A+		1	3	.250	1.98	20	7	11	1	0	2	59.0	63	22	13	1	19	2	55	2	0	1	252	1.390	9.6	0.2	2.9	8.4	2.89
A (1 season)				A		1	2	.333	0.55	11	0	10	0	0	3	16.1	10	2	1	0	3	0	13	1	0	0	61	0.796	5.5	0.0	1.7	7.2	4.33

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/27/2011.

I see Toronto trade Edwin Jackson and some relievers to St. Louis for Colby Rasmus. And not any good relievers. I’d prefer getting Rasmus to getting Frasor/Stewart. Yes, Rasmus has his negatives but it would have been a better return than Frasor/Stewart.