Atlanta Braves moves before the Faux Winter Meetings
By Fred Owens
Atlanta Braves Simulated trade – Jim Johnson to Baltimore
The trade sent an unhappy, under-performing reliever back to his original club. It also teamed him up once more with the only pitching coach seems to be able to help him; Roger McDowell.
Under McDowell in 2015 and 2016 Johnson threw 112 innings at a 2.97 ERA , 1.19 WHIP. He struck out 22% of hitters, posted an average 57% ground ball rate and 77.5% LOB rate. He allowed 0.4 HR/9 and hitters managed only a .238/.306/.328/.633 line in 462 PA.
Under other pitching coaches in LA and back in Atlanta last season, Johnson threw 74 innings at a 6.90 ERA, 1.60 WHIP. He still struck out 22% of batters but his ground ball rate averaged just over 54%, and his LOB rate sank to 57%. Offenses enjoyed seeing him as his HR/9 more than tripled to 1.33 and hitters posted a .284/.360/.437/.797 line in 351 PA.
Johnson’s pitch usage and velocity remained almost the same, the only difference was the pitching coach. I presented the following numbers to the O’s and they concurred that a reunion with McDowell might work and I gave them $3.5M for listening to my sales pitch. In return the Braves received Kirvin Moesquit (@KirvinMoesquit)
Kirvin Moesquit
Born in Willemstad, Curacao, Moesquit moved to Florida at a young age and took part in the 2007 Little League World Series. He attended Highlands Christian Academy in Pompano Beach, Florida and was a 2014 Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American. A portion of his 2013 Perfect Game scouting report gives a good feel for his play.
"”. . (a) Switch hitting middle infielder with good all around athleticism. Quick hands and good bat speed from both sides . . .more power from the left side, can drive the ball from both sides, more of a contact approach right handed. . . .impressive 60 yard dash times translated well to in-game speed. Quick feet defensively, good balance, solid arm strength, good middle infield actions. . .”"
The Twins selected him in the 36th round of the 2104 draft but he decided to attend Seminole State Junior College and try to improve his chances.
In 48 games for Seminole State, the slim second baseman posted a .368/.445/.500/.955 line on the back of a .399 BAbip. That led the Orioles to select him in the 24th round of the 2015 draft and he signed for a $100K bonus.
The As you might imagine, at 5’8” and 165 pounds, Moesquit isn’t a power hitter. He played well enough in rookies ball to earn a promotion to A-ball in his draft year; he repeated A-ball in 2016 and 2017.
In his two plus years Moesquit’s become a utility infielder playing second, short and third. He is fast – as this video shows – and posted a .258/.336/.313/.649 line including 19 doubles, three triple and a home run. He starts the year in low A.