How they got here: The roster constructions of the Giants, Cardinals, Royals, Orioles
By Sam Dykstra/MiLB.com
With the League Championship Series slated — and I use that word hesitantly, given the precarious weather forecasts in both Baltimore and St. Louis — to begin Friday, it’s an appropriate time to look at how the final four teams got here. No, not how they did in the LDS. (For the record, the Orioles and Royals swept the Tigers and Angels, respectively, and the Giants and Cardinals needed four games apiece to beat the Nationals and Dodgers.) Rather, it’s a good spot to look at how these franchises constructed the 25-man rosters they will use as they march toward the World Series.
Here are their rosters broken down by those acquired by trade, the Draft/international free agency and regular free agency.
TRADES
Orioles (12) — Brad Brach, Tommy Hunter, Andrew Miller, Bud Norris, Chris Tillman, Nick Hundley, J.J.Hardy, Kelly Johnson, Jimmy Paredes, Alejandro De Aza, Adam Jones, David Lough
Royals (nine) — Tim Collins, Wade Davis, Jason Frasor, James Shields, Erik Kratz, Alcides Escobar, Nori Aoki, Lorenzo Cain, Josh Willingham
Cardinals (four) — John Lackey, Adam Wainwright, Peter Bourjos, Randal Grichuk
Giants (two) — Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence
This comes from the magic of Dan Duquette. Since he became Orioles general manager in November 2011, he’s acquired eight of the 12 players listed above via trade, and while some are bit players, like Johnson and Paredes, there are those that have major influence. Norris went 15–8 with a 3.65 ERA in his first full season after being acquired from the Astros in a deadline deal last year and tossed 6 1/3 scoreless frames in the Game 3 clincher against the Tigers. Similarly, Miller was acquired on July 31 and has continued to be one of the relievers in the game. The 29-year-old left-hander posted a 1.35 ERA with 34 strikeouts and four walks over 20 innings for the O’s after the deal and didn’t allow a hit across 3 1/3 frames in the ALDS, when manager Buck Showalter leaned on him in high-leverage situations. The above figure also isn’t counting slugging first baseman Steve Pearce, who was picked off waivers from the Yankees in late 2012 and posted a .293/.373/.556 line with 21 homers in 102 games this season.
It’s important to note that a lack of quantity necessarily translates to a similar lack of quality. Peavy and Pence are the only current Giants to come to San Francisco via trade, but no one would deny their impact. Pence has put up a 5.5 and 4.7 fWAR — the two highest marks of his career — in two full seasons since coming from the Phillies in 2012 and Peavy posted a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts (78 2/3 innings) after coming over from Boston in July.
DRAFTED/SIGNED AS INTERNATIONAL FREE AGENTS
Cardinals (17) — Sam Freeman, Marco Gonzales, Lance Lynn, Seth Maness, Carlos Martinez, Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, Michael Wacha, Tony Cruz, Yadier Molina, Matt Adams, Matt Carpenter, Daniel Descalso, Pete Kozma, Kolten Wong, Jon Jay, Oscar Taveras
Royals (13) — Danny Duffy, Brandon Finnegan, Greg Holland, Christian Colon, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Jarrod Dyson, Alex Gordon, Terrance Gore, Billy Butler, Yordano Ventura, Salvador Perez, Kelvin Herrera
Giants (12) — Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo, Buster Posey, Andrew Susac, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Matt Duffy, Joe Panik, Pablo Sandoval, Gary Brown, Juan Perez
Orioles (seven) — Zach Britton, Wei-Yin Chen, Kevin Gausman, Brian Matusz, Caleb Joseph, Nick Markakis, Jonathan Schoop
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Cardinals, long deemed the gold standard when it comes to player development, have brought up 78 percent of their current roster from the professional cradle, as it were. Three-quarters of their starting infield, both catchers, two of their NLDS starters and their closer were drafted by the organization and have come up through the Minor League ranks. It’s the dream to make the LCS in four straight seasons as the Cardinals have done. It’s two dreams squished together to do it with a roster formed mostly from homegrown talent.
I’ve covered the Royals’ construction before, particularly how it compared to their Wild Card opponents in the A’s, so I’ll point you there for more on their system.
As for the Giants, Bumgarner, Posey, Sandoval and Romo have formed the core of a team that is two rounds from its third World Series title in five seasons, while Lincecum and Crawford have contributed as well. Panik (.305 average in 73 games) looks like he could be the team’s future at second base.
The O’s homegrown talent mostly lies in the pitching staff. Britton enjoyed his best season yet with 37 saves and a 1.65 ERA in 76 1/3 innings this season, while Chen enjoyed a career campaign with a 16–6 record and 3.54 ERA in 31 starts (185 2/3 innings). The future also remains bright for Gausman, who posted a 3.57 ERA in 20 starts as a 23-year-old this season and helped save Chen’s bacon with 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a 7–6 comeback victory in Game 2.
FREE AGENTS
Giants (10) — Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla, Tim Hudson, Javier Lopez, Jean Machi, Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Vogelsong, Joaquin Arias, Gregor Blanco, Travis Ishikawa
Cardinals (four) — Randy Choate, Pat Neshek, Jhonny Peralta, Matt Holliday
Royals (three) — Jeremy Guthrie, Jason Vargas, Omar Infante
Orioles (three) — Miguel Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, Delmon Young
Much more than the two categories above, free agents come in all sizes, in terms of expected and real impact. The Giants have the most in this category, but the only ones with an fWAR higher than 1.0 were Blanco (2.0) and right-handers Hudson (1.7), Petit (1.7) and Vogelsong (1.0). At the other end of the spectrum, three of the Cardinals’ four signees are above that mark: Peralta, Holliday (3.8) and Neshek (1.8). Indeed, Peralta (.263/.336/.443, 21 homers, plus defense) and Neshek (71 appearances, 1.87 ERA, 9.1 K/9) have been two of the best signings of the 2013–14 offseason. Cruz, the Orioles’ DH/outfielder who led the Majors with 40 homers this season, also deserves plenty of mention.
ROSTERS
Cardinals
Pitchers
Randy Choate — Signed as a free agent, Dec. 2012
Sam Freeman — Drafted in the 32nd round, 2008
Marco Gonzales — Drafted in the first round, 2013
John Lackey — Acquired from the Red Sox, July 2014
Lance Lynn — Drafted in the first round, 2008
Seth Maness — Drafted in the 11th round, 2011
Carlos Martinez — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, April 2010
Shelby Miller — Drafted in the first round, 2009
Pat Neshek — Signed as a free agent, February 2014
Trevor Rosenthal — Drafted in the 21st round, 2009
Michael Wacha — Drafted in the first round, 2012
Adam Wainwright — Acquired from the Braves, Dec. 2003
Catchers
Tony Cruz — Drafted in the 26th round, 2007
Yadier Molina — Drafted in the fourth round, 2000
Infielders
Matt Adams — Drafted in the 23rd round, 2009
Matt Carpenter — Drafted in the 13th round, 2009
Daniel Descalso — Drafted in the third round, 2007
Pete Kozma — Drafted in the first round, 2007
Jhonny Peralta — Signed as a free agent, November 2013
Kolten Wong — Drafted in the first round, 2011
Outfielders
Peter Bourjos — Acquired from the Angels, November 2013
Randal Grichuk — Acquired from the Angels, November 2013
Matt Holliday — Signed as a free agent, January 2010
Jon Jay — Drafted in the second round, 2006
Oscar Taveras — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, November 2008
Giants
Pitchers
Jeremy Affeldt — Signed as a free agent, November 2012
Madison Bumgarner — Drafted in the first round, 2007
Santiago Casilla — Signed as a free agent, January 2010
Tim Hudson — Signed as a free agent, November 2013
Tim Lincecum — Drafted in the first round, 2006
Javier Lopez — Acquired from the Pirates, July 2010/signed as a free agent, November 2013
Jean Machi — Signed as a free agent, February 2011
Jake Peavy — Acquired from the Red Sox, July 2014
Yusmeiro Petit — Signed as a free agent, January 2012
Sergio Romo — Drafted in the 28th round, 2005
Hunter Strickland — Claimed off waivers from the Pirates, April 2013
Ryan Vogelsong — Signed as a free agent, January 2011/December 2013
Catchers
Buster Posey — Drafted in the first round, 2008
Andrew Susac — Drafted in the second round, 2011
Infielders
Joaquin Arias — Signed as a free agent, December 2011
Brandon Belt — Drafted in the fifth round, 2009
Brandon Crawford — Drafted in the fourth round, 2008
Matt Duffy — Drafted in the 18th round, 2012
Joe Panik — Drafted in the first round, 2011
Pablo Sandoval — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, May 2003
Outfielders
Gregor Blanco — Signed as a free agent, November 2011
Gary Brown — Drafted in the first round, 2010
Travis Ishikawa — Signed as a free agent, April 2014
Hunter Pence — Acquired from the Phillies, July 2012
Juan Perez — Drafted in the 13th round, 2008
Orioles
Pitchers
Brad Brach — Acquired from the Padres, Nov. 2013
Zach Britton — Drafted in the third round, 2006
Wei-Yin Chen — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, January 2012
Kevin Gausman — Drafted in the first round, 2012
Miguel Gonzalez — Signed as a free agent, March 2012
Tommy Hunter — Acquired from the Rangers, July 2011
Brian Matusz — Drafted in the first round, 2008
Andrew Miller — Acquired from the Red Sox, July 2014
Bud Norris — Acquired from the Astros, July 2013
Darren O’Day — Claimed off waivers from the Rangers, November 2011
Chris Tillman — Acquired from the Mariners, February 2008
Catchers
Nick Hundley — Acquired from the Padres, May 2014
Caleb Joseph — Drafted in the seventh round, 2008
Infielders
Ryan Flaherty — Taken in the Rule 5 Draft, December 2011
J.J. Hardy — Acquired from the Twins, December 2010
Kelly Johnson — Acquired from the Red Sox, August 2014
Jimmy Paredes — Purchased from the Royals, July 2014
Steve Pearce — Claimed off waivers from the Yankees, September 2012/released and re-signed, April 2014
Jonathan Schoop — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, August 2008
Outfielders
Nelson Cruz — Signed as a free agent, February 2014
Alejandro De Aza — Acquired from the White Sox, Aug. 2014
Adam Jones — Acquired from the Mariners, February 2008
David Lough — Acquired from the Royals, December 2013
Nick Markakis — Drafted in the first round, 2003
Delmon Young — Signed as a free agent, January 2014
Royals
Pitchers
Tim Collins — Acquired from the Braves, July 2010
Wade Davis — Acquired from the Rays, December 2012
Danny Duffy — Drafted in third round, 2007
Brandon Finnegan — Drafted in first round, 2014
Jason Frasor — Acquired from the Rangers, July 2014
Jeremy Guthrie — Signed as a free agent, November 2012
Kelvin Herrera — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, December 2006
Greg Holland — Drafted in 10th round, 2007
James Shields — Acquired from the Rays, December 2012
Jason Vargas — Signed as a free agent, November 2013
Yordano Ventura — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, October 2008
Catchers
Erik Kratz — Acquired from the Blue Jays, July 2014
Salvador Perez — Signed as a non-drafted free agent, October 2006
Infielders
Christian Colon — Drafted in the first round, 2010
Alcides Escobar — Acquired from the Brewers, December 2010
Eric Hosmer — Drafted in the first round, 2008
Omar Infante — Signed as a free agent, December 2013
Mike Moustakas — Drafted in the first round, 2007
Outfielders
Nori Aoki — Acquired from the Brewers, December 2013
Lorenzo Cain — Acquired from the Brewers, December 2010
Jarrod Dyson — Drafted in the 50th round, 2006
Alex Gordon — Drafted in the first round, 2005
Terrance Gore — Drafted in the 20th round, 2011
Josh Willingham — Acquired from the Twins, August 2014
Designated hitter
Billy Butler — Drafted in the first round, 2004
