Yohan Flande
Made the team by pitching phenomenally in spring training. Now, nine times out of ten (at least) when a guy who’s never done anything before plays his way onto the roster in spring, he plays his way off it before summer. Flande is a guy with some ability who is working in a new role (lefthanded relief, after mostly being a starter in the minors) and it’s possible this represents a real change in his effectiveness. Heck, Jonny Venters was a minor league starter who’d never done anything until spring two years ago.
Signed out of the Dominican by the Phillies, Flande had some strong seasons early in his career, but all at a very low level that he was really too old for. He pitched well in High-A in 2009, but was treated rudely by AA later that year and in 2010, and was allowed to leave as a free agent. The Braves signed him and sent him to Gwinnett, where he was mediocre — 8-8 with a 4.01 ERA, and 6.8 strikeouts per nine.
It is difficult for me to see anyone with a strikeout rate that low — and it is typical of Flande’s performance in the American minors — as a real prospect. Then again, we come back to the change of role. (Venters’ strikeout rates in the minors were similar.) If Flande gets added velocity from pitching in short outings, perhaps he can up the strikeouts and be a contributor.
Yohan Flande Minor League Statistics & History – Baseball-Reference.com.
Check out the ’11 season Wes Timmons had for Oakland! After meeting him in ST one year, I’ve always rooted for the guy. I hope he receives a cup of coffee sometime during his career.
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:06 pmhttp://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=timmon001wes
Agony’s line for the Brewers this ST:
.440/.481/.780/1.261
3 doubles 1 triple 4HR 14rbi
I know it’s Spring Training, but that’s enough to make me want to puke.
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:15 pmGonzalez will put up his usual sub-.300 OBP for the Brewers.
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:19 pmIf there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 28 years in this world, it’s that Alex Gonzalez won’t put up a .481 OBP this year.
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:24 pmI am of the opinion that Agony was a terrible we could afford to have, but… I hope he sucks this year.
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:29 pm#1 Timmons had a great season but a lot of it was in the PCL.
Alex Gonzalez will barely put up a .281 OBP this year.
April 3rd, 2012 at 2:30 pmAAG will be AAG. .291 OBP in 6000 PA’s don’t lie.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:14 pmWell that was inconsiderate of the Braves to void Mac’s Flande writeup by signing Chad Durbin.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:27 pm@7 – But Ryan Braun proves that some players just “blossom” in Milwaukee.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:28 pmChad Durbin? Doesn’t he suck?
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:30 pmScumbag Braves.
Signed Chad Durbin to a one-year deal (major league). Flande optioned to Gwinnett.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:31 pmOh, come on.
Yes, he does. His career ERA is 5.10.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:31 pmChad Durbin has somehow managed to have a 12-year career despite being right-handed and having a 5.10 ERA.
Something tells me he may have some Pictures, too.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:43 pmWren is just messing with Mac now.
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:46 pm#9
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:47 pmThey seem to “blossom” in Toronto, too.
Durbin was clearly signed to give Constanza and Juan Francisco competition in the Whipping Boy contest. Actually, if he gets as many innings as Linebrink did last year, I’d say he’s the early front runner.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:02 pmChad Durbin? That’s…probably not going to work.
Pete, you’ve already blocked out the memory of us signing Livan Hernandez….
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:04 pmWe all knew the Braves had to find their “Proctor, Sturtze, Linebrink” reliever this year. Come on, its the Braves.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:05 pmAt least Proctor and Linebrink had been good at some point in the past.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:06 pmOh dear god, yes I had forgotten Livan. Ok, early Whipping Boy tournament contenders:
Seed|Name
1.|Durbin
2.|Livan
3.|Constanza
4.|Francisco
5.|Pastornicky
Did I miss anyone?
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:07 pmI thought Livan was supposed to be rubber armed mop up. Why do we need a second reliever with a disposable arm? A situational lefty was a much better idea. Sometimes team moves just confuse me.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:10 pmFrank Wren is really starting to perturb me. I’m completely flummoxed.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:12 pmHernandez, Durbin and Francisco? Why is Wren actively making the team worse right before opening day?
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:14 pmYou know, mlb.com doesn’t say anything about Flande being sent down. Maybe Durbin’s replacing Livan. With Medlen and Martinez already in the pen, that kind of makes sense.
I don’t get swapping a situational lefty out, but swapping a third long reliever with a short reliever at least makes some sense.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:14 pm@24
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:18 pmIt’s happened. DOB tweeted it verbatim.
Yohan Flande would have made a great Iberian dessert name.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:19 pmThere’s a plus to this… Durbin’s pretty good on the 15th day of each month when he’s pitching between the hours of 10 and 11 eastern time, temperature precisely 72 degrees, and wind blowing out of the southwest.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:31 pmWho is Chad Durbin?? I vaguely recall him having that one decent year in Philly. Wren is channeling Dayton Moore.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:38 pm“There’s a plus to this… Durbin’s pretty good on the 15th day of each month when he’s pitching between the hours of 10 and 11 eastern time, temperature precisely 72 degrees, and wind blowing out of the southwest.”
But that is only if it’s Tuesday and he’s pitching at a location above the Mason-Dixon Line.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:38 pmDurbin Poison?
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:46 pmChad Derp-in?
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:50 pm@30, We have a winner!
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:50 pmBut I don’t get it! Crap. Hate when I don’t get stuff.
April 3rd, 2012 at 4:55 pmWren sat down last week and realized he was about to go into the season without any crappy veteran relievers in his pen so he quickly adjusted course and signed Livan and Durbin. That was pretty close though…
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:00 pm33—Google informs me that “Urban Poison” is a marijuana strain.
Frank Wren has taken to trolling me. This move is inexplicable.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:06 pm@35 – Thanks for bringing us non-hipster adults into the know.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:09 pmThat may not be what they’re talking about, but “urban” was one of the few words I could come up with that rhymes with Durbin, and when I googled it, it was a thing.
/musicians!
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:13 pmStarting to question Wren’s competence.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:21 pm@30, golf clap. That is how he shall be known henceforth.
@35, “Durban Poison” is a South African strain, and the originator of the meme. I spent a good deal of time there years ago.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:22 pmThe most similar pitcher to Durbin is Tanyon Sturtze. (Albie Lopez is #3, Jorge Sosa is #4.)
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:24 pmhttp://www.leafly.com/sativa/durban-poison
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:26 pmBeen listening to Humble Pie lately & “30 Days in the Hole” describes many offenses that’ll land you there—”Durban Poison” is one of them.
http://tinyurl.com/y9my6ur
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:27 pm40—Of course he is.
I’m a Frank Wren Guy, but what in the absolute monkey eff is going on here?
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:29 pm@42, That is such an amazing track. Love that whole record, actually.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:41 pmLivan? Durbin? We need more veteran presence… get me Javier Vazquez.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:42 pmAccording to FanGraphs, Durbin has 2.2 career WAR, and 2.0 of those came in 2001 with the Royals.
According to BRef, he has -0.5 career WAR, including 1.1 in that 2001 season.
[Expression of further confusion and disgust.]
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:45 pmLivan – released by Houston
Durbin – released by Washington
Fransisco – out of options and soon to be released from Cincy
Sure did bolster our team right before the season started didnt we?
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:53 pmWorking on the assumption that Wren is not insane, I can only imagine that there’s an injury, or some other development that isn’t well known, justifying Durbin. We can’t yet pass judgment, but certainly can express ignorant bewilderment. Hopefully it doesn’t wane into informed bewilderment.
April 3rd, 2012 at 5:55 pmSurprised that none of us have suggested yet that Fredi demanded Livan and Durbin. (Come on Frank, what’s going on?)
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:02 pmDon’t think Francisco was going to be released. I actually like that move. And I don’t mind adding Livan, only that real money was spent.
But when you’re one of the ones trying to defend the above moves, and then Wren goes out and signs Chad Durbin, I mean…
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:02 pmLivan and Durban are unexplainably bizaare.
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:47 pmJulian Tavarez.
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:52 pmDo they want another “veteran arm” in the pen to be a mentor to the young guys? Or to keep them in check? Like the story about Buddy Carlyle asking Parraz if he’d ever learned how to talk to a starting pitcher, a lot of these kinds of moves may be “leadership” oriented.
Edit: That, and looking for lightning in a bottle and hedging against the inevitable flameout.
April 3rd, 2012 at 7:02 pmNew post.
April 3rd, 2012 at 7:51 pm