by Nes Lessman
As I reported earlier this year, the Nine lost Pablo Camacho, a 25 year old southpaw that GM Rob McMonigal signed mid-season in 2062 and assigned to the AA Santa Cruz Spartans. He was a cast off from Charm City, a team McMonigal often trades with, so he clearly has familiarity with their players.
Camacho did well for the Spartans, going 5-5 in 13 starts with a 3.45 ERA and 72Ks in 88.2 IP. It was a step down from the AAA posting he had with the Jimmies, but he showed his worth by quickly pitching a 5 hit shutout.
Despite his stats, however, scouts I spoke to that know I'll keep their anonymity pointed out that his stats are pretty typical of a player who will be average at the major league level. A person who can and will make the 40 man but not until it's time.
Per McMonigal, it wasn't time yet, but the Calgary Pioneers thought otherwise, selecting him 20th overall in the draft. But they apparently had some second thoughts because they eventually traded rookie league SP Fadi bin Nadeem for the rights to keep him in their system.
Your award-winning farm guy will tell you that's not a bad deal for the Nine. bin Nadeem is just 20, so he has time to develop, unlike Camacho, who is just about ready. He's still trying to figure out his pitches, but my scouting informants love his fastball, cutter, and especially his knuckle-curve, which they see as a potentially devastating out pitch if he can fully figure it out. Right now his control looks like his weakest point, but he doesn't even give up longballs in practice.
His stats looks pretty good as well. He was 3-3 in 11 starts in rookie ball, after being in Calgary's international camp for a few years. His 1.04 WHIP and 1.9 rWAR (which I don't quite understand but is apparently a pitching stat) look very good even though his skills are still raw.
Overall, the Nine effective got something for nothing and even if that something doesn't go far, it seems like a good idea. Camacho would be part of a big crowd of AA/AAA/AAAA types that the Nine are collecting like old-school baseball cards. On the other hand, bin Nadeem has a shot at being part of a new wave of pitchers for the Nine, which doesn't have a strong group at the ground level right now.
It's the kind of deal McMonigal should be making right now. It'll be interesting to see how it works out. It wouldn't shock me if this is a win-win trade for both teams.
