Analysis: The Mark Teahen Trade

Written by: JJ Stankevitz on 6th November 2009

Analysis: The Mark Teahen Trade | read this item

The White Sox traded Chris Getz and Josh Fields to Kansas City for Mark Teahen in a classic Kenny Williams “didn’t see that one coming” move Thursday morning.

What the Sox get with Teahen is an average left-handed bat who can play third base, second base, or right field—although UZR says he can’t exactly play any of those positions well.

Teahen’s walk rate has plummeted in the last two years, falling from 9.2 in 2006 and 2007 to 7.4 and 6.6 in 2008 and 2009. As a result, his OBP fell from the .350 range to the .310-.320 range. On top of that, his contact rate has fell along with his walk rate.

His current approach at the plate—essentially, one of less patience—is a strong departure from his famed Moneyball days. Some scout quotes on Teahen from the book (page 31):

Good approach to hitting. Not a lot of power right now…he takes pitches.

Teahen doesn’t project. He’s a corner guy who doesn’t hit a lot of home runs.

Teahen not only is a corner guy who doesn’t hit a lot of home runs, but now, he doesn’t even have a good approach to hitting.

Maybe some of that change has been because of poor coaching from the Royals. Or maybe some of that change has been that Teahen got sick of being a corner outfielder who doesn’t hit many home runs.

If the Sox can find a way to get Teahen back to his patient days at the plate (i.e. get his walk rate back up), then he at least can be a good OBP guy somewhere in the lineup. If not, though, he’ll become essentially an expensive utility player.

Teahen is a better defensive right fielder than Jermaine Dye, but he’s still not above-average. So if Teahen is playing a corner position, he won’t have much power or much defense.

A lesser worry for me is that the Sox will move Teahen to third and Gordon Beckham to second. I’d have to hope the Sox know about Teahen’s deficiencies at third and would rather keep Beckham progressing defensively there instead of moving him to second. But that infield shift is not something we can rule out just yet.

But it’s not like the Sox gave up a whole lot for Teahen. Getz has a lot of work to do with his offense, defense, and fragility before he can be considered an everyday major-league second baseman. Fields didn’t have a position within the organization and, unfortunately for him, Kansas City probably isn’t the best place to revive his career.

What’s interesting now is that the White Sox do with second base. Will Jayson Nix become the everyday starter? Will Beckham shift to second? Will Teahen play second base, which he did only three times last year? Will the White Sox acquire a second baseman via the free agent or trade market now? Does this mean C.J. Retherford might crack the majors as a reserve infielder?

It’s only November 5, and already we have a bunch of questions that’ll have to be answered over the course of the winter. That’s a nice way to kick off the hot stove league.

Topics: chris getz, Corner Position, Deficiencies, Getz, Jermaine Dye, Kansas City, Kenny Williams, Mark Teahen, Obp, Outfielder, Patience, Patient Days, Pitches, Quotes, Right Fielder, Royals, Scout, T Project, Thursday Morning, White Sox, Worry