Trade Central: Jays Part With Lugo For Pennington
August 8, 2015 by John Manuel
The Blue Jays went as all-in as any team as any team in recent memory at the trade deadline, acquiring both Troy Tulowitzki and David Price while trading away 11 minor league pitchers, plus Jose Reyes.
Saturday, the Jays traded a minor league hitter for a change, dealing shortstop Dawel Lugo to the Diamondbacks for big league utility player Cliff Pennington.
Pennington, 31, played collegiately at Texas A&M and was a 2005 first-round pick of the Athletics. A career .248/.315/.346 hitter, he’s played second base, third base, shortstop and even left field for the Diamondbacks this season and strengthens the Blue Jays’ bench despite his lack of punch.
Just 20, Lugo has been a prospect since signing for $1.3 million in 2011, part of the Jays’ $7.57 million international class of 2011. He’s the fifth member of that class traded in the last month, joining righthanders Miguel Castro, Jesus Tinoco and Alberto Tirado and lefthander Jairo Labourt.
He ranked as the Jays’ No. 9 prospect entering 2014 after starring in the Rookie-level Appalachian League (he was the Appy League’s No. 5 prospect that fall). However, Lugo had struggled with his too-aggressive offensive approach in full-season ball.
He posted a middling .259/.286/.329 season with low Class A Lansing in 2014 with just 18 walks in 117 games. While he struck out just 72 times in 474 at-bats, he didn’t make much hard contact and continued to struggle in the first half this year after a promotion to high Class A Dunedin, where he was batting just .219/.258/.292 when he was sent back to Lansing. He’s rebounded in the Midwest League but still has a 73-14 strikeout-walk ratio through 98 games in 2015.
Lugo has above-average athleticism and hand-eye coordination that had scouts grading him as an above-average hitter, if his overly aggressive nature didn’t get the better of him. His lack of selectivity has precluded him from getting to his above-average power potential. He’s drawn comparisons to Jhonny Peralta for his combination of power potential and solid if unspectacular defense, modest range and good arm strength. He ranked near the top of the Florida State League in fielding percentage at the time of his demotion to Lansing.
Pennington this year has played third, second, short and left field, but has had the bulk of his work in his career at short, where he represents an upgrade on Munenori Kawasaki, the current backup to Troy Tulowitzki.
Pennington’s best work comes at short, where he has a range factor (putouts plus assists) of 4.40 per nine innings this season and overall his dWAR is 0.7 this season.
The switch-hitter has a career .248/.315/.346 line in eight seasons in Oakland and Arizona and can be a free agent after the season.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/trade-central-jays-part-lugo-pennington/
