The Dodgers sent right-handed pitcher Ryan O'Sullivan to Philadelphia today to complete the Joe Blanton trade.
I was a little surprised when I saw this news, but I guess it's not the worst trade. I was on board with the Blanton acquisition, but I thought it might take a little less than O'Sullivan to land.
O'Sullivan ranked as the Dodgers' 18th-best prospect in my midseason update. Baseball America had him ranked as the 23rd-best prospect in the organization.
O'Sullivan began the season with the Loons and pitched relatively well: 2.92 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 0.4 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9, 5.5 K/9. Since being promoted to the Quakes, he's pitched exclusively out of the bullpen: 3.57 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9 and a 6.6 K/9. The only statistic he improve upon was his strikeout rate. He's an extreme groundball pitcher but will need to start missing more bats going forward.
The Phillies did well by landing a pitcher who at least has some talent for Blanton. Here's hoping he starts pitching better for the Dodgers down the stretch. His 8.23 ERA isn't going to get it done.
relievers with a 6 k/9 in the minors don't tend to do well in the majors
ReplyDeleteTrue, but I see O'Sullivan at least getting a chance to stick in the rotation before being relegated to bullpen duty.
ReplyDeleteHe's an extreme groundball pitcher. He doesn't need to get strikeouts to be successful, but it definitely helps.