Prospects on the Move: Choice for Gentry a Sensible Deal
By Jason Mast
Sep 3, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Michael Choice (35) hits an infield single against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
In the vein of most major deals this offseason, the recent Rangers-Athletics trade of Craig Gentry and Josh Lindbloom for Michael Choice and Chris Bostick was a sensible move that filled glaring holes on both ball clubs – power for the Texas and a proven fourth outfielder for Oakland.
Home run power, something that was once abundant in Arlington, has been in short supply of late. A lineup card that used to feature the likes of Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young, reluctantly showed Leonys Martin, AJ Pierzynski and Lance Berkman in 2013. The result has been predictable as their yearly home run total dropped by almost 40 from 2011 to 2013 and their major league home run rank from 2nd to 8th.
Choice, the tenth overall pick from 2010, has been known for most of his life purely for his raw power. He set a University of Texas record with 34 career college home runs and he knocked out 30 bombs in his first full minor league season in 2011. The only concern would be that his home run totals from each of the past two years were 10 and 14, but those numbers can be somewhat discounted as he was playing in Raley Field and Citibank ballpark – two of the worst ballparks for hitting home runs, according to an MLB.com report.
In the wind tunnels of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, its not hard to envision twenty home runs next year and even more as he ages. A .300 hitter with a .390 OBP this past season, Choice is not a one dimensional hitter either. Although his propensity to swing and miss should yield a somewhat lower average in the majors, the plate discipline should make him a productive hitter irrespective of his extra base output.
With all these positive attributes, it can be difficult to see why Oakland GM Billy Beane did not just keep Choice as his fourth outfielder for 2014, as he actually said he might earlier in the offseason. But with the Athletics on the verge of World Series run and the question of which Josh Reddick, the 4.8 WAR one from 2013 or the .686 OPS one from 2012, will show up next year, they needed a proven player as opposed to a prospect with only 18 career major league at bats. More importantly, as teams have come to adopt his Moneyball strategies from the early 2000s, Beane has actually come to consider defense undervalued. While Choice is more than capable of playing every outfield position, Gentry is a clear plus defender, having saved the Rangers 32 runs on defense over the course of his short career, according to fangraphs.
The secondary players on each side are of remarkably different value and upside. The Athletics got Josh Lindbloom, a competent middle reliever who can pitch as a set up man in stints. In return, the Rangers received Chris Bostick, a former 44th round pick who is quietly rising among the prospect ranks. After a couple hum-drum seasons in the lower minors, the 20 year old second baseman broke out to .282/.354/.452 with 14 home runs and 25 steals in A ball. He has been described as one of the better true sleeper prospects in the minors and he provides even more middle infield depth for a Rangers farm system already stocked at those positions. Although he has a chance to be a big league regular down the line, he doesn’t have any one particularly noteworthy tool and Jim Callis of MLB.com projects him as more of a utilityman down the road.