Hello again, Jeffrey

This was supposed to go up yesterday, but the Joba Chamberlain news pushed me back a bit.  


Jeff Marquez was claimed off waivers by the Yankees on Wednesday, making that Nick Swisher deal look even more silly.  This is kind of a blast-from-the-past, as Marquez was making his way through the Yankees' system as a starter (along with Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy) in the mid-2000s.  Now 26, Marquez's stock has fallen a lot in the past five years, and this acquisition is nothing more than a depth move.  


Marquez was touted as a sinker-ball pitcher, though his groundball rates dropped a lot from his early professional career (mid 50% ground ball rate 2005-2007, down about 10 percentage points 2008-2010).  From his one inning, 18-pitch stint with the White Sox last year, we have some PITCHf/x data on Marquez.  He showed five pitches that formed five distinct clusters; below is horizontal spin deflection plotted against vertical spin deflection (in inches):

This one shows horizontal spin deflection and speed:

I don't know how (if at all) Joe Girardi plans to use Marquez in the now-depleted bullpen, but it sure would be nice for him to contribute and get his career going again.