Free Agent Watch: Jason Botts

Jason Botts (playing for the Mets organization), earned a .383 OBP (14th in the International League), 2.48 PAPP, .73 PPG, and .788 OPS in AAA in 2011. This translates to a Simple WAR of 3.2. According to the International League metric, he would have a .337 OBP, 3.05 PAPP, .33 PPG, and 1.71 Simple WAR. He did have a big time .347 BABIP in 2011, and if that was adjusted to a Major League average .300, his OBP would be .311 in the metric. In his 6 seasons played in AAA (although not all in the International League), Botts has a .338 OPS, .896 OPS, 1.41 PPG, and 2.4 PAPP. In Botts' Major League Career (all with Texas, hasn't played in the majors since 2008), he registered a 1 WAR (-.3 O-WAR, 1.3 D-WAR) in 326 Plate Appearances, with a .325 OBP, .72 PPG, and 2.99 PAPP. His Secondary Average was .252, an ISO of .113, and a offensive winning percentage of .378. He walked way more than average at 11.7%, but was an under-average extra base hitter and home run hitter. He also saw an amazing 4.4 pitches per plate appearance, giving him a great 104.94 PPS. He also spent a small sample (66 games) in Japan, posting a .328 OBP, .763 OPS, .7 PPG, and 3 PAPP. This would obviously not translate well (I don't think there is a reason to run him through the metric), but with the AAA numbers being promising and some metrics actually being good in the Majors, we may be able to toss them. Even with Botts being 31, I think there are good reasons to bring him on a minor league basis or minimum salary contract. I don't think he got a fair shake in the Majors, he walks and forces a bunch of pitches to be thrown, and most importantly, he gets on base.