Atlanta Braves add a wild card bat in 3B Ryan Schimpf

The Rays designated two of their players in the past couple of weeks.  Today’s opponent, the Pirates, got Corey Dickerson.  The Braves have opted for 3B Ryan Schimpf.

First, let’s start with the news.  The Atlanta Braves have completed a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that brings in third baseman Ryan Schimpf.  He costs the team virtually nothing (a player to be named later or cash) and is therefore entirely expendable, should the team feel he’s not right for them.

That’s kind of an underwhelming introduction, to say the least, but the Braves have been looking for another third baseman that would not be a block to Austin Riley.  They’ve also been looking for a bat to provide some thump… and a lefty bat would play well at SunTrust Park.  Schimpf checks all of those boxes.

That said, Schimpf was on the Rays’ 40-man roster, and will have to start there with Atlanta as well.  Josh Ravin has been outrighted to AAA Gwinnett to become the equal-and-opposite-corresponding move to make room for Schimpf.  More on that and other roster moves later today in a separate post.

But about Schimpf…

All About the Bat

If the Braves wanted to add some homers without playing Mike Moustakas money, then Schimpf is that guy.  Here’s some examples:

• Padres, 2016:  20 HR in 89 games
• Padres, 2017:  14 HR in 53 games
• Padres AAA, 2017:  19 HR in 69 games
• Padres AAA, 2016:  15 HR in 51 games

Combining the majors and AAA, he’s hitting one homer in every 14.7 plate appearances.

The next question you might be asking would be “so why is he bouncing between AAA and the majors if he’s hitting like that?”

For that answer, please allow me to defer to a couple of quotes.  First:  Fangraphs:

"If there is a poster child for the fly ball revolution going too far it’s Ryan Schimpf. Of the batters with at least 150 PA since 2002, his past two seasons fly ball rates are the 2nd and 3rd highest. While he does hit home runs, that’s it. He’s posted a career MLB batting average of .195 helped by a .219 BABIP. When those fly balls stay in the park, they are easy to catch for outs. At least when he makes contact, he hits it far with 68 of his 96 hits going for extra bases for a .297 ISO. He’s like Adam Dunn but more extreme."

Now Steve Adams from MLB Trade Rumors:

"Schimpf, 29, is perhaps the current poster boy for three-true-outcomes hitters, as 52.7 percent of his 527 career plate appearances have ended in either a home run (34), walk (69) or strikeout (175). Remarkably, his 34 career home runs are more than the 28 singles he’s amassed in the Majors. In all, he’s walked at a 13.1 percent clip in the big leagues and struck out in 33.2 percent of his trips to the plate. He’s a .195/.317/.492 hitter in those 527 PAs."

Funny how both sites used the ‘poster boy’ line in two different, but equally applicable ways.  Fangraphs also has a post on him entitled “Ryan Schimpf is an Outlier, Again”.  To sum up, he hits fly balls at an extreme rate and some of those fly out of the park… even at Petco.

The nearly-30-year-old Schimpf doesn’t really look the part of a power hitter – 5’9″ and 180 lbs. – but that’s been keeping him around in baseball (almost exclusively in the minors) since 2009.

Occasionally, he’ll have flashes of brilliance (hitting .279 in AA/2012, .270 in AA/2014, .355 at AAA in 2016).  So maybe since 2018 is an even-numbered year, he’s due again?

That’s not looking real likely, since at the major league level, Schimpf has struck out at a 33% clip and hit for a .195 average.  However, he has slugged enough to ring the OPS bell a bit:  .809, which is why he’s still playing despite the obvious flaws.

Defensively, Schimpf appears to be a touch below average… slightly better than ‘serviceable’ is probably the right word.  But again:  this is a low-risk move.

Begging the Question

Okay, so if the upsides are limited and the downsides are evident, then why not just use what you already have around the house?  And what are the other implications?

More from Tomahawk Take

• Atlanta Braves 2023 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List: 11-15
• Braves News: Braves sign Luplow, Atlanta’s shortstop plans, more
• Atlanta Braves Could Go With Six-Man Rotation in 2023
• Atlanta Braves sign free agent outfielder Jordan Luplow
• Atlanta Braves 2023 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List: 16-20

Right away, you’ve got to think that this move pretty well seals the idea that Rio Ruiz is heading back to AAA… and even there, he’d probably not play third base unless Riley starts in AA (which I don’t expect).  But there’s just no room for Ruiz now at the major league level… even as a backup for Freddie Freeman.

As for Johan Camargo, there could be a platoon situation setting up.  Camargo actually hits better than Schimpf from both sides of the plate, though it’s at least close when both are facing right-handed pitching (and the Padres used him primarily against those arms).

Camargo his .403 against southpaws in 2017, so I’d have to think the Braves would at least use him in that role, especially – whether as a starter against lefties or as a bench bat.

Next: Don't Make Nick Mad

This will be fun to watch, though… and probably a bit infuriating at times, too.  But that’s also a good statement about how 2018 might could go in general.