Wily Mo Pena: Power, Lottery Tickets and Scouting
February 2, 2017Jimmy Garoppolo and avoiding incremental news: While We’re Waiting
February 3, 2017The Cleveland Indians front office was not done quite yet. Rajai Davis, Juan Uribe, and Joba Chamberlain were late signings that helped the 2016 ballclub have the needed depth to navigate the first 162 games well enough to make the postseason. The Tribe added outfielder Austin Jackson and designated-hitter Wily Mo Pena but continued to scour the market for value deals. The Indians found one when they signed left-handed specialist Boone Logan to a deal Thursday (pending a physical) as reported by Ken Rosenthal.
One glaring need for the Indians was a LOOGY (Left-handed One-Out GuY). Andrew Miller might be redefining how MLB uses relievers, but his usage against all types of batters meant the Tribe could still use a left-handed specialist. There just happened to be a southpaw on the market who fit the need perfectly; Boone Logan.
Sources: #Indians in agreement with free-agent LHP Boone Logan, pending physical.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 2, 2017
I’ve opened the way for others to make saves but a save myself I never was after
The sidearm delivery of Logan helps create major action on his slider, which is his dominant pitch that breaks away from lefties. He also throws a 93 mile per hour fourseam fastball though he is much less successful with it. His sinker and changeup are used with much less consistency.
On first glance, it might appear that Logan was much worse in 2015 than 2016. However, a big portion of his statistical advantage last year was proper utilization. He had almost as many innings against right-handed batters as left in 2015, which is a dumb way of using his skillset. In 2016, he had twice as many innings pitched against southpaw swingers, which is somewhat better. Still, his splits are so strong they suggest he should rarely get the opportunity to face right-handed bats.
statistics courtesy of Fangraphs
Logan just dominates his platoon advantage. Having a K% above 30 with a BB% below 10 just sets him up to be incredibly useful.
It isn’t how you die. It’s what you live for.
It might be a luxury to have a guy in the bullpen who is only called upon to set down lefties, but Logan is the perfect guy for a contending team with that particular need. The Indians are such a team.
Another way of looking at Logan’s platoon advantage is in Exit Velocity (EV) and Launch Angles (LA). Baseball Savant even has a fantastic visual to demonstrate it.
courtesy of Baseball Savant
Right-handed hitters get more elevation with more velocity on their batted balls than left-handers do, which leads to much better overall results (for the hitter). Boone Logan’s ability to keep the ball on the ground is also shown in his batted ball profile. He was able to induce ground balls over 60% of the time against lefties, but only just over 30% of the time against righties. With the Indians good infield defense, Logan would have another dominant platoon advantage key.
Heaven must be a Cleveland type of place.
The Cleveland Indians did what they needed to do to sign Boone Logan. These are the types of small deals that can make a huge difference come October. In fact, Logan deserves his own song to celebrate his signing with Cleveland.
Boone Logan is a man
Yes, a left hand
With strike from a slider
And 93 on his heater is he
Boone Logan is a man
Yes, a left hand
Pitching fast, pitching sidearm
And yes tough as a mighty LOOGY
From the baseball cap on the top of ol’ Boone
To the spike of his leather cleat
The rippin’-est, roarin’-est, fightin’-est man
The bullpen should ever meet
Boone Logan is a man
Yes, a left hand
And he could pitch for the Tribe
To win the World Series
What a boon, what a doer
What a dream come-a-true-er is he
39 Comments
Is the table flip flopped? His 2015 numbers look mislabelled.
You take the blue pill—the season ends, you wake up during spring training and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in WFNY Hot Stove, and Bode shows you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
And is LOOGY really a term, or did you just make that up? Either way, I’m impressed.
It’s real. TINSTAAPP too.
Doh! Just the FIP column, but it is a big one to get wrong.
Thank you. I shall fix.
Thank you sir. Always bet on red.
Yep, real and there is no magic with Keith Hernandez involved either 🙂
You heard it here first
http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/logan-banner.jpg
It stinks to wait until ST is already under way, but, hey, might save another million on the deal.
It’s real and it’s spectacular ( a sequel to yesterday comments )
if only there were a player with the last name of Goretex. the column would write itself!
But it’s 30 days before Arlington! You going?
Both Indians trips to Texas are during Spring youth baseball season. I assume someone in the organization wanted to spite me. Probably for good reason.
Much clearer! I was muy confused
Is there any youth baseball in October?
There is always youth baseball. We have been playing flag football in the fall, but we’ll see what happens.
If the Indians get to face the Astros or Rangers in the postseason, then I’ll have to figure out how to make it work, obviously.
Yes, apologies. The little things in life 🙂
I always thought of Daniel Boone vs Davy Crockett and I was a Davy guy https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bff8NCdTl-A
Does that mean you are siding with Kyle over Logan here?
Davy for sure! What would Texas tourism be without him?
https://therivardreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/alamo-plaza-during-fiesta_credit-iris-dimmick.jpg
I’m not sure if one-out guys are in the Tribe’s plans….
He was more of a figurehead by the time he made it to Texas, but he still bravely gave his life and who knows how many followed him across that line in the sand Colonel Travis drew with his sword.
I couldn’t say, but one-out guys seem more valuable than garbage-time innings-eaters. That’s certainly the case while jockeying for league-standings and in a playoff series. They can still always eat some time on the losing end of a blowout.
2nd year in a row I’ve banged the table for a player (Rajai Davis last year) and the team delivered. Love it.
You should notice a little something extra next week 😉
Two on, two out, one-run game, top of the 6th, big stud lefty at the plate . . .IT’S LOOGY TIME!
It’s a little bit sad to think that Davy and all the other brave men died so that free people could one day buy a SquareBob Spongepants tchotchke at the Alamo.
29 days off!
You now must delete today’s Browns draft column.
https://media.giphy.com/media/W3gqy9YCtRUhq/giphy.gif
I think the Browns do the Costanza method, so I need to keep re-posting that one.
Good thing February is a short month!
Does this confirm you took the red pill?
Freedom!
Fantastic news. Using Andrew Miller as a LOOGY is a waste, so this not only provides Logan’s production, it expands Miller’s. If we imagine Miller to be a 3-out guy in most circumstances during the regular season, along with Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, that gives us three lockdown innings at the end of games in which we have the lead PLUS a lefty specialist, Dan Otero, and Zach McAllister. If they carry 8 there are a variety of options, but this is going to be a very strong group. It will be great not having to cycle through the flotsam that we saw in the first half of last season.
Exactly. Logan was very solid (I sarcastically wrote great but realize that sarcasm font doesn’t work anymore) with the Yankees. I’m really happy about this signing.
The new Paul Assenmacher!
I think I could see the Tribe using him until his arm falls off, AND then if need be, just getting another LOOGY at the deadline.
The Cleveland Indians are also not here for the bullshit.
LOL
https://media.giphy.com/media/2DxjHeaTo1DOM/giphy.gif
Discus needs to add comic sans as an option for that…