Brandon Wood Should File For Unemployment

Remember Brandon Wood? Wait, maybe we should start from the beginning. Remember 2003? It was 11 years ago so my memories might be fuzzy. I believe George Bush captured Saddam Hussien during a bicycle race in France for a cancer charity? And Guy Ritchie destroyed a once promising career by making Swept Away because Madonna became British. Also, the Angels selected Brandon Wood with the 23rd pick of the Rule 4 draft. In 2005, Wood hit 43 home runs for High A Rancho Cucamonga and entered 2006 as Baseball America's third overall prospect. It was a simpler time. And maybe breaking balls didn't exist in the minors yet.

It didn't go downhill immediately. Wood made his Major League debut in 2007 and hopes were still high. Then it fell apart. Brandon Wood ended up with 751 plate appearances in the Bigs and was last seen around Pittsburgh in 2011. Career slash? .186/.225/.289 with a 29% strikeout rate. It was ugly. And if this feels a bit like an obituary, it shouldn't. I have been one, if not the biggest, Brandon Wood supporter. I have proof. But if that slash line isn't baseball nightmare fuel enough, Wood just posted a .098/.156/.159 in 90 plate appearances at Independent League, Sugar Land. Mmmm, Sugar Land. Turns out the Sugar Land Skeeters are in Houston and not downtown Diabetesville, Mississippi. Either way, the Skeeters released Brandon Wood on June 1 according to this transaction page that apparently exists.

Now, I've never played competitive baseball but I assume getting cut from an Independent Baseball club is the equivalent to being kicked off of the beer league bowling team. That uses bumpers. At 29-years-old, being released from an Independent League team should signal the end of the career from a legit former prospect. It's sad. And disappointing. What's next? He should file for unemployment. According to a 2012 Baseball America article, Independent League players could make up to $600 per month. That's a lot of cans of tuna. Provided he moves back in with his parents.

While this news does make me sad, for serious, I'm looking forward to the savings Brandon Wood will be able to get me when I buy a new Kia Spectra if he makes it through the training period at that dealership.

The Brandon Wood Era Ends In Anaheim

On the heels of a 15-4 routing of the Texas Rangers, Tuesday night saw the sad conclusion to Brandon Wood's career as a Halo. In order for the Angels to clear a roster spot, Wood was designated for assignment. With Wood out of options in Anaheim, the Angels have 10 days to trade, release or place him on waivers. Despite Wood's heartbreaking failure at the major league level, a player with his pedigree and minor league track record will almost assuredly be granted a flier by another organization. A notion that Mike Scioscia was well aware of...

"It was tough, a tough decision," Scioscia said. "He's one of our guys. We just have no way out of this right now. There's no roster flexibility.

"He needs to go play and establish his career. We'll be proud of him when it happens. ... We all had high expectations for what he was going to do when he got his chance at the major-league level but it just didn't happen. Baseball wasn't fun for Brandon last year and it isn't fun for him right now.

"It needs to be fun for him again and it will be. We just don't have the development at-bats he needs at the major-league level."

I'm willing to accept, even if it's begrudgingly, that what Scioscia said is true. Wood was finally given the keys to the third base job in 2010 and posted a .146/.174/.208 line which still gives me furious bouts of night terrors. While I see no reason to carry three catchers on the roster or nary a reason to even employ Jeff Mathis, Erick Aybar's return from the DL gave the Angels too many infielders and Wood's 8 strike outs in 15 plate appearances weren't doing him any favors.

The Angels simply could not afford to keep running Wood out there to flail away at off speed pitches if they want to compete for the AL West crown. Wood, a first round pick in 2003 and crusher of minor league pitching, may be a guy who needs that change of scenery to rejuvenate a once bright career. Or, maybe, he's another failed Angels prospect cut out of the Dallas McPhearson mold. I'm hoping for the former since I have more of an emotional attachment to Wood after rooting for him for seven years. I'm also, ever so slightly, financially invested in him after deciding this would be the appropriate year to sponsor his Baseball-Reference page.

And maybe it was. Over the next 10 days, I expect quite a few teams and fans to be kicking the proverbial tires on Wood. So to all of you new Brandon Wood hopefuls, remember I have a B-R sponsorship for sale. It's only slightly used but it's afraid of curves and doesn't recognize when stuff is slowing down. Hit me up if you're interested.

I do wish Brandon all the luck in the world even though it feels like I just eulogized him. Now that the pressure of being the future of the Angels is off of his back, he can get back to enjoying baseball.

Kevin Long Has Big Plans For Robbie Cano

Yankee hitting instructor extraordinaire, Kevin Long, is either quite full of himself or delusional in his optimism for Robinson Cano. Or he's a super genius. Cano is coming off of his best season in 2010 finishing third in the AL MVP voting. It was a monster season by all accounts for a second baseman as he hit 29 home runs and put up a .320/.381/.534 line. But Long apparently thinks Cano is capable of 40 jacks...

"I wouldn't be surprised if Cano hit 40 home runs," Long said. "He hit 29; could he hit 40? Why not? It's a big number - and not something that's a goal - but could he do it? I don't think there's anybody standing here that thinks he can't."

Asked if he thought he could go deep 40 times this season, Cano laughed and answered quickly.

"No chance; maybe if you put an extra half-season," Cano said. "To be honest, that's not in my mind. I don't think I'm a home run hitter; most of my home runs are line drives. I don't want that kind of thing in my mind. If I hit it, thank God, but it's not on my mind."

Well, PECOTA is more inclined to believe Cano than Long projecting a bit of a regression for the second bagger. It has Cano coming back to Earth a little bit hitting a mere 20 homers and a .300/.346/.476 line which would still make many teams jealous. But if Cano hits 40 bombs, Long needs a raise.

If you're wondering why I'm writing a post about a hitting coach, it's because I now have a horse in this race. Brandon Wood reached out to Kevin Long for hitting advice this off season and I recently flushed some cash down a toilet to sponsor his Baseball-Reference page.

Off Base Now Proudly Sponsors Brandon Wood's Baseball-Reference Page

As many of you now by now, I am an Angels fan. I've been a Brandon Wood supporter for a long time now even though his at bats in the majors have been less than inspiring. In fact, his 2010 .146/.174/.208 line still keeps me up at night. And at 26-years-old, I figure this will be the make-or-break season even though I realize a "bust" label is already justified. But with a little disposable income on my hands thanks to the several dollars a month this blog brings in, I figured this was my chance to bet on Wood one last time.

Wood, the 23rd overall pick in 2003, appeared to be the future middle order of the line-up short stop for the Halos. He was ranked as the third best prospect in baseball by Baseball America before the 2006 season after absolutely crushing minor league pitching. He officially stuck with the Angels last season and promptly forgot how to hit that white thing with that piece of wood.

I wish I could say that his 2011 Spring Training was showing signs of encouragement but Wood is only hitting .205/.225/.462 in 39 at bats. PECOTA has Wood projected for 21 home runs, 123 strike outs and a .246/.300/.442 line which is starting to look awfully optimistic. So we plan on pretty much using that advertising space on Wood's Baseball-Reference page to make fun of him. Sorry bud, I am rooting for you but this is the Off Base way. Be sure to check out the Brandon Wood page for our jokes until we cross a line and B-R revokes my account.

Brandon Wood Turns To Yankees For Help

Brandon Wood was finally given the keys to third base by the Angels in 2010 and he crashed that thing into an elementary school. I think a case could be made that Wood's 2010 season was a more tragic event than the Chilean miners getting trapped. They at least got ice cream. Wood posted a .146/.174/.208 line in 243 plate appearances and had more than a few at bats that brought tears to my eyes.

Wood was awful in every aspect of hitting. He walked at a 2.5% clip and struck out over 30% of the time. So Wood turned to Yankees hitting instructor Kevin Long for some help...

"He's an Arizona guy who gave me some encouragement last year, who I got to know through small talk, and I wanted to hear his philosophy on hitting," Wood said of Long. "Hitting is like golf. How many ways can you do it and be successful? There’s a lot of different ways; you have to find the one that works for you."

Wood, in camp for the Angels' first full-squad workout Saturday but slowed by a minor back injury, incorporated some of Long's suggestions into his winter batting-practice sessions and said he has a much better feel for his swing.

As an Angels fan, I don't care if Wood turned to the Yankees, Jobu, Yoda or the Batting Stance Guy for help as long as it produces even a modicum of success in 2011. I don't have high hopes though. It's sad to think that a 2011 breakout performance for a major leaguer would be hoping he improves to a .280 OBP.

Angels At The Hot Corner

The Angels off-season was filled with ups and downs and as a fan masochist, I wanted to take a look at just how bad their third base situation is. After losing out on Adrian Beltre, the Halos are left with Maicer Izturis, Brandon Wood and Alberto Callaspo to man the hot corner. It may look bad on paper but it's even worse when you say it out loud and people give you the stink eye. Here are the aforementioned players' WAR Graph by age (via Fangraphs). Click to enlarge.



Ruh-roh. Izturis is the proud owner of a career high 3.0 WAR (in 2009) between the three of them and Wood has yet to crack a 0.0 WAR in the majors. Just roughly looking at the 2010 seasons of this trio of trepidation, it doesn't look like the Angels can plan on getting more than a combined 1.5 WAR from this rotation.

I've been known to be delusional at times so allow me to put on my optimism hat for a minute before I have a panic attack. If the winds all blow the right way, they could at least be league average at third. All three have the potential to be a tick better than average at defense. Izturis and Callaspo could get their OBPs back into the .330-.340 range. And if Wood was granted a wish during the off-season, he might be able to reach a .300 OBP.

Wood was the future of the Angels power hitters but that ship has sailed and was probably sunk by pirates. But if the crew can combine for 18-20 home runs, the Angels' perfect storm would be Michael Young's 2010 season with better defense.

AL West Year In Review

Off Base will take a look back at the 2010 season season with our own brand of science nonsense. Today we'll look at the AL West because the Angels owe me $120 after watching them all year on MLB.tv.

1. Texas Rangers
Highlights: The Rangers made it all the way to the World Series after winning the West with a 90-72 record. They lost, of course, because I purchased a Cliff Lee voodoo doll from the French Quarter. Josh Hamilton put together what should be an MVP season. C.J. Wilson ended up being a star both on the mound and on Twitter @str8edgeracer. Nolan Ryan's giant head and finance group bought the Rangers which means much more of his buddy, George W. Bush. There is a good chance the Rangers will declare war on Cuba for relief pitchers.

Lowlights: Ron Washington forgot he had Neftali Feliz once he got into the World Series. Which could mean either the onset of Alzheimer's disease or the dreaded poor bullpen management syndrome. Nelson Cruz took more trips to the DL than your sister takes to the free clinic which doomed my fantasy baseball team.

Hot Stove Outlook: Re-signing Cliff Lee is priority number one. They have a good chance I think too. He recently bought cowboy boots. If that ain't science, I don't know what is. They declined Vlad Guerrero's $9 million option but will probably try to bring the old man with no knees back on the cheap.

2. Oakland A's
Highlights: The A's managed to finish second in the West with a .500 record. Dallas Braden threw a perfect game. A Dallas Braden "Get Off My Mound" T-shirt was made. Umm, their young starters pitched better this year?

Lowlights: Average home attendance was 137. There wasn't a single player who hit 20 home runs. Nobody sent me a "Get Off My Mound" T-shirt.

Hot Stove Outlook: It is now completely impossible to guess what Billy Beane might do anymore. In fact, I think he only watches soccer now.

3. Los Angels Angels
Highlights: Jered Weaver led the league in strikeouts and became the ace I hoped he'd become. Peter Bourjos got called up and played some amazing center field. Mike Trout is now the top prospect in baseball. Also, Mike Trout. Mike Trout.

Lowlights: Kendry Morales continued his hot hitting from 2009 but broke his leg celebrating a walk-off grand slam. The Angels finished 10 games out of first with an 80-82 record. The Brandon Wood third base experiment finished the season with a .146/.174/.208 line. I cried a little after each one of his plate appearances. The bullpen.

Hot Stove Outlook: The Angels figure to open up Arte Moreno's checkbook and bid on the likes of Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano. I really want to see a Crawford, Torii Hunter and Peter Bourjos outfield.

4. Seattle Mariners
Highlights: None. Okay fine, Felix Hernandez was brilliant and will probably win the Cy Young.

Lowlights: Chone Figgins was a bust and has a fat contract. They finished with the second worst record in baseball at 61-101. The M's finished last in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage. It was a reverse triple crown slash line as a team.

Hot Stove Outlook: Overspend on a player after a career year. Pray Justin Smoak develops into the prospect everybody thought he would be. Spend a lot of time trying to figure out who to draft with the second pick in next year's draft.

Shot Of The Night: A-Rod's Paying

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

We'll occasionally bring back the shot of the night when someone really causes us to drink for good or ill. Tonight we celebrate. The shot of the night is Slugger's Delight: 1 shot 151 proof rum, 12 oz Rock and Rye® liqueur and it's in honor of Alex Rodriguez.

A-Rod murdered the ball tonight for the Yankees going 4-5 with 3 home runs that laughed at the outfield wall while sailing over it. A-Rod warmed up by crushing a solo shot 412 feet off of Sean O'Sullivan in the 6th inning. The next big fly came off of Kanekoa Texeira in the 7th inning and went 419 feet. But the slugger saved his best performance for Greg Holland in the 9th. A-Rod crushed the 2-0 offering from Holland 439 feet into the Kansas City water falls. Despite my general dislike for all things Yankee, I remain a big time A-Rod supporter. I look forward to covering A-Rod's chase for history even if Bud Selig plans on turning a cold shoulder to the offensive monster.

Honorable Mention: Bobby Wilson
The hitting challenged Angels catcher somehow managed to hit 2 home runs off of Blue Jays pitching prospect Brett Cecil. Meanwhile, Brandon Wood pinch hit and went 0-1 lowering his slash line to .166/.183/.223 continuing to disappoint the Angels, his parents, scouts and yours truly. I've recently reached out to Wood's agent to see if he has any interest signing on with my Wiffle Ball team. We only pay in potato chips but we're prepared to make a very generous offer. Perhaps even sour cream.

Shot Of The Night

Shot Of The Night is Off Base Percentage's toast to a player who had an exceptionally good or bad night. There's always a reason to drink.

Tonight's shot of the night is Morning Wood: 1 oz vodka, 1 oz peach schnapps, 1 oz orange juice, 1 oz sweet and sour mix, 1 oz blackberry liqueur. And it's in honor of Brandon Wood.

Clearly this is a homer pick. I'm not going to apologize. The kid has struggled and I give him plenty of grief on Twitter but I still believe. In true morning wood fashion, Brandon came up strong in today's Angels game. Brandon Wood hit his first career grand slam and even had a walk while not striking out. I hope he's turning a corner but it's a good reason to get hammered nonetheless.

Honorable Mention: Kerry Wood
The appendage formerly known as Kerry Wood's arm picked up his 6th save of the season while striking out the side. That can't last long. Just like morning wood.

Jeff Mathis' Golden Sombrero

A golden sombrero is awarded to a player who manages to strike out four times in a single game (real golden sombrero not included). It's quite the feat unless you're Ryan Howard or Mark Reynolds. Unfortunately, cycles and no-hitters are all the rage nowadays. Not for me, though. I will pour over the box scores to bring you the finest at swinging and missing.

You would think it would be pretty hard to strikeout four times in a 10-3 game when your team only bats in eight innings. Nope. And if I gave you one guess which Angel was capable of that, I assume you would say Brandon Wood. Wrong again. You're off to a poor start in this post. It was Jeff Mathis who donned the Sombrero. I don't blame you for not guessing Mathis, unless you are Mike Scioscia, you would never put Jeff Mathis in a major league lineup. Before I hammer on Mathis some more, Brandon Wood hit a grand slam, walked and struck out zero times. It was very confusing for me to watch.

Mathis, a career .204 hitter, doesn't actually strikeout that often. In fact, this is only his second major league Golden Sombrero. We should do something special. I know it's not new but everybody grab your margarita and let's watch that baby dance...



That baby probably gets so many more ladies than me. Oh well, at least I don't poop myself. Usually. Let's go to Mathis' strikeouts before I divulge anymore.

Bottom 3rd: Mathis struck out swinging against Jhoulys Chacin. Fun fact: Chacin's first name is pronounced "Bob."

Bottom 4th: Mathis struck out swinging against Chacin again. Mathis wasted no time to end the inning. Dude just loves to catch.

Bottom 6th: Mathis struck out swinging against Chacin. MTD Hat Trick. I need to learn how to build a glossary for this site because we make up a lot of stuff.

Bottom 8th: Mathis struck out looking against Franklin Morales. Brandon Wood hits a grand slam, I fall out of my chair.