The acquisition of Bixler, 27, seemingly fills the Indians lust for a utility infielder this offseason, and his right-handed bat should be a good complement to the switch-hitting Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop and left-handed hitting Luis Valbuena at second base. With the addition of Bixler, the Indians 40-man roster now stands at 40.
Bixler is a Sandusky, OH native who spent the majority of the 2009 season at AAA Indianapolis where he batted .275 (111-403) with 71 runs scored, 23 doubles, 8 triples, 9 home runs and 43 RBI in 108 games. He was tied for 2nd in the International League in triples and tied for 7th with 71 runs scored. He also appeared in 18 games with the Pirates over three different stints hitting .227 (10-44) with 5 runs scored and 3RBI. The 6-1, 195-pound infielder appeared in 61 games at shortstop, 27 at second base, 15 in center field and 2 at third base while at Indianapolis.
The loss of Brito, 22, is tough to swallow after what many consider a breakout campaign in short-season ball last year. He hit .366 (49-134) with 36 runs scored, 12 doubles, 8 triples, 3 home runs and 25 RBI in 35 games with the AZL Indians before being promoted to Mahoning Valley where he hit .333 (30-90) with 16 runs scored, 7 doubles, 2 triples and 18RBI in 25 games.
Brito's emergence last year at rookie level Arizona and then at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley was a result of a much improved ability to make consistent, hard contact. His power is good, with an ability that Indians officials have said could someday translate into 20-25 home run ability in the big leagues. He made a solid conversion to third base last year after spending the three previous seasons as an outfielder in the Dominican Summer League.
It remains to be seen if the hit ability Brito showed in 2009 translates as he moves up the minor league ladder, and having never shown any success in the three years before, the jury is still out on him. He is still a very intriguing prospect as prior to the trade he was slated as my #35 prospect in the Indians system for 2010.
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8 comments:
I don't know much about Brito, but 25 HR potential in the big leagues for a guy that has spent 3 years in AAA? Bixler's stats aren't even that great.
That's Brito's ceiling though, like if everything goes right. He has yet to even play Low-A ball and his three years prior to this year were forgettable and his stats last year in the AZL were inflated because of the league and his advanced age. He did though impress at MV, and the bat I think is legit....but I think he is a guy without a position and will have problems as he gets to the higher levels with the bat. A solid C prospect, maybe C+. He's not a Top 30 guy, so getting a major league option to fill a need works for me. I hate to lose him but it makes sense, especially with the depth in the system at 3B. Urshela, another 3B they are high on, could be the 3B at Lake Co now.
If Bixler was a pitcher his strike out totals would seem pretty cool.
Would you consider him the favorite for the utility job? Where would Grudzielanek fit in AAA?
I think the Indians prefer Grudzielanek to be the utlity guy, but Bixler is Plan B in case Grudz can't go. And I think Plan B is more than likely to occur...and if so I don't anticipate Grudz sticking around in AAA. I could be wrong, but that's my feel.
I assume Bixler has a few options remaining, correct? Otherwise this deal would really be a head-scratcher.
Bixler has one option year remaining.
Pessimistic review of Bixler as a major leaguer:
"Although he was second in the nation in batting average in 2004, there were reservations about his hitting after he hit .120 in the wood-bat Cape Cod League in 2003. In his NY-P League debut he got his average up to respectability, but showed little power and poor plate discipline. Those tendencies continued at Hickory. He continued to fan far too often and didn't walk much, and his overall #s were not those of a legitimate prospect.
In 2006, Bixler improved at Lynchburg. He drew about the same number of walks in half a season there as he'd drawn in all of 2005. On the down side, he continued to fan a lot for a player with minimal power. Promoted to Altoona at mid-season, Bixler again hit over .300. His walk total dropped off, however, and he continued to fan a lot. He doesn't look to me like he gets a lot of his body into his swing. Maybe as a result, he's sometimes been overpowered by fastballs up, even from pitchers with mediocre velocity.
In 2007, his average fell in every month: in June, July and August it was .283, .242 and .227. He had a very large platoon split: 311/414/563 vs. LHPs and 261/353/341 vs. RHPs.
Bixler committed 16 errors in 59 games at Williamsport, another 33 at Hickory, and 13 at each stop in 2006. He had only 16 in 2007, but the Pirates expressed concerns about whether he was ready defensively. His arm has never looked either strong or accurate. He wasn't more than a decent base stealer until 2007.
The Pirates sent Bixler back to AAA for 2008, but he was recalled when Jack Wilson went on the DL. Bixler was overmatched at the plate, incessantly chasing sliders far outside, sometimes fanning on three straight pitches in the same location. Initially, he was just as bad defensively, struggling with errors and misplays, but he eventually settled down and started to play much better in the field. When Wilson returned, Bixler went to AAA. The Pirates appeared to shift their view of him from possible starting shortstop to prospective utility player. Bixler returned to his previous pattern of hitting decent numbers of singles and striking out like Ryan Howard. The Pirates recalled Bixler in September and he went 3-for-27 for the month, with 13 strikeouts. It's very difficult to think that a player who has minimal power and still fans in a third of his AAA at-bats can hit major league pitching.
In 2009, Bixler had a good spring, but was sent to AAA just the same, because the Pirates now regarded him as a potential major league regular and not merely a utility player, so they wanted him playing regularly. He got called up in late April and struggled to a biblical degree. He struck out 18 times in just 25 at-bats. The Pirates sent him down in mid-May and he struggled through the next two months in AAA, hitting .150 in May and .234 in June. From the beginning of July through the end of the AAA season, he hit .320 with all nine of his HRs and a .541 slugging average. He played mainly short and second, but also began playing games in center after the Pirates acquired Argenis Diaz. Between his September and a brief August callup he fanned eight more times in 19 at-bats, for 26 Ks in just 44 ABs on the season. He also had several costly defensive miscues. When Cedeno went out with an injury, the playing time at short went mainly to Cruz and later even to a hobbled Ramon Vazquez. If the Pirates weren't willing to give Bixler much playing time under those circumstances, then it's pretty obvious they don't see him as a potential major leaguer, with good reason. Bixler will be 27 in late October and has been badly out of his depth in his opportunities in the majors. With Friday coming up from AA, Diaz already in AAA, and D'Arnaud and Mercer probably moving up to AA, Bixler is on the verge of getting squeezed out. He'd almost certainly clear waivers if the Pirates removed him from the 40-man roster, but it's hard to see what role he'd play even then.
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