MLB

MARKET CORRECTION

The vaule of draft compensation is changing how trades are made

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Though healthy so far this year Burnett is still an enigma. He ranks in the AL's top five in both K's and walks.

A.J. Burnett and Rich Harden are alike in many ways. They both have an extensive injury history, and on any given day, they each can be the best pitcher on the planet. But while the A's sent Harden to the Cubs in one of the most significant deals of the summer, the Blue Jays were hesitant to swap Burnett as the trade deadline neared. Because unlike Harden, whom the Cubs control through 2009, Burnett can opt out of his contract this off-season, and the Jays would receive two compensatory draft picks—a hot commodity in baseball these days.

A decade ago, draft-pick compensation wasn't considered a big deal; rather, it was like getting a free car wash that comes with a tank of gas. But as the cost of veterans and the value of young players have risen, so too has the worth of draft picks. Toronto's position on Burnett was clear: If you want him, you have to give us a prospect package more valuable than the compensation draft picks we get if he leaves.

This dynamic also affected the trade talks surrounding impending free agents such as Mariners outfielder Raúl Ibañez and Rockies closer Brian Fuentes. That's not surprising given the success that clubs have had with compensation picks. When Orlando Cabrera left Boston, after 2004, the Red Sox used the two extra picks on Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie, big parts of the team's future.

Some execs think draft picks are being overvalued. "Look at what Cleveland did with CC Sabathia," says a National League GM. "Instead of the two picks they could've gotten, they acquired Matt LaPorta, an outfielder with power who could help them next year. And he's already been paid his signing bonus. If you take two draft picks, you have to sign them at about $1 million per, and you have no idea if they're going to pan out. The value of draft picks is overblown."

But the numbers tell a different story. In the current system, free agent compensation selections come from the first or second round of the draft. And of the 50 players in this year's All-Star Game who were once draft-eligible, 29 of them (58%) were selected in the first two rounds.

So if Sabathia bolts the Brewers at season's end, they'll gladly take the two extra picks. After all, in the first two rounds of their recent drafts, they've plucked Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, J.J. Hardy… and Matt LaPorta.

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BACK IN THE MIX

By Mike Berardino

Getting out of bed was a chore. Pulling on his socks and shoes took tremendous concentration. Playing baseball was out of the question. This was Dallas McPherson in January 2007, when chronic lower-back pain threatened his major league future and left him worried about his ability to perform some of life's simplest tasks.

So the fading Angels third baseman, once one of baseball's top prospects, rolled the dice and underwent surgery to fuse two vertebrae, an operation that cost him all of last season and could have ended his career. "Playing again was the ultimate goal," he says, "but it was a decision made based on living a pain-free life."

The 28-year-old McPherson signed with the Marlins as a free agent in January and is now raking for Triple-A Albuquerque. He tied a Pacific Coast League record with home runs in seven straight games in June, and his 35 jacks are tops in the PCL. Unfortunately, so are his 121 strikeoutsand it's his K's, almost as much as his back, that have stalled his career.

A second-round pick out of The Citadel, in 2001, McPherson rocketed to prominence when he blasted 40 minor league homers in 2004. The Angels called him up in mid-April '05, but he hit .244 with 64 whiffs in 205 ABs before undergoing surgery to repair an impingement in his left hip.

This is his first healthy season since, and he's hoping for a call-up to Florida, where he could provide a potent lefty bat as the upstart Marlins battle for the playoffs. "I've never lost confidence," says McPherson. "I still think I can perform at the big league level."

But even if he never gets that chance, at least he can now bend over to pick up his baby daughter.

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DOUBLE CLUTCH

Who's the man with runners on base? Hint: He plays for KC.

By Buster Olney

From the batter's box, David Dejesus can sense the anxiety coming from the mound. The pitcher doesn't want to give him anything to hit, but there are men on base, so he doesn't have much choice. DeJesús waits—and then pounces.

Though he's a leadoff man asked to set the table, the 28-year-old Royals outfielder is actually at his best when it's time to drive in runs. He leads the majors with a .435 average with runners in scoring position (minimum: 65 ABs). "I feel the pressure is on the pitcher," DeJesús says. "I try to stay with the same game plan and wait for my pitch."

Bill James disciples have long questioned the existence of clutch hitting, the ability to raise one's performance when the game is on the line. But it's hard to argue with DeJesús' numbers. His career batting average with runners in scoring position (.311) is 25 points better than his overall BA (.286).

A perfect example of his approach came in late June against the Giants, when the lefty-hitting DeJesús faced lefthander Jack Taschner in the sixth inning with runners on second and third, no outs, and the Royals trailing 10-7. Taschner, who's holding lefty hitters to a .188 BA this season, tried to put DeJesús away with a 2-2 slider on the inside corner, but the hitter calmly took it for a ball to work the count full. Then, even though first base was open, Taschner tried to sneak a fastball over the outside part of the plate; DeJesús whacked an opposite-field single to make it 10-8, and the Royals went on to win, 11-10. "I put a nice short swing on it," DeJesús says. "I feel confident right now."
Maybe it's time for him to be moved down in the Royals lineup: His 69 ABs with runners in scoring position ranks 76th in the AL this season. And yet the leadoff man on one of baseball's worst offensive teams still has a shot to drive in 100 runs. That's clutch.

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NEW BALL GAME

China's emergence as a superpower doesn't apply to baseball…yet.

By Matthew Cole

Before Jim Lefebvre became manager of the Chinese national team in 2003, its offensive strategy was pretty basic: "Bunt a guy on base. Bunt him to second. Bunt him to third. Hope for a passed ball."

Although much has changed since then, no one quite knows what to expect from China at the Beijing Games, five years after the country asked MLB for help in developing a national team. Lefebvre, a 66-year-old bundle of energy who has managed the Mariners, Cubs and Brewers, took on the challenge. This year, in exhibitions against extended spring training squads in Arizona, his team went 17—7. But the best testament to progress: the four Chinese players signed by the Yankees and Mariners in 2007. "We're about low-A level, but we're improving," Lefebvre says.

With baseball axed from the 2012 Olympics, MLB hopes its effort in China will boost global interest (not to mention merchandise sales) and lead to the sport's return to the Games. Lefebvre acknowledges that China has a bid this year only because it's the host country, but he believes his team could steal a win or two from unsuspecting opponents. "You can't expect us to start talking about medals," he says, "but we're going to compete."

One thing is for sure: They know how to bunt.

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