Casey Fossum - the Newest Iowa Cub

The Cubs signed lefty Casey Fossum and put him in Iowa. I don't know the specifics of the deal, but it seems like a wise move, given Neal Cotts' season-ending surgery.

If Fossum is called-up by the Cubs, it will be his sixth major league uniform, starting with Boston, a year in Arizona, three in Tampa and then 2008 with the Tigers. Fossum started 2009 as a Met, but got the boot after three appearances. The Yankees scooped him up in May, stuck him in Scranton (per MLBTR). Fossum opted out of his contract with the Yankees, so he clearly feels like he'll get a better shot in Chicago.

Fossum, originally from New Jersey (have to mention the Garden State), is now 31 and hasn't made a start in the major leagues since May 29, 2007, but he has worked in the rotation for Scranton and Buffalo in the International League, as he has throughout his minor league career.

We'll see what he does in Iowa, but we have a good pile of pitches in PITCHf/x for Fossum, although he's a little tough to figure out. Take a grain of salt, but he's primarily sinker/fastball/slider and two curves (slower and slower). I may have found a couple changes and splitters, too. Low arm slot, blah velocity.

Fossum's fastballs run in the 87-90 range, with his four-seamer averaging 89.0 since 2007. The slider averages just under 84 (it's a bit of a slutter) and the curve can come in anywhere from 50 to 75.

Here's an oldie but a goodie, the aggregate spin movement plot with speed as the size/label.



Fossum's pitches are all very average based on actual and expected run values. His best his probably that curve (or curves) and maybe the slider. He's a generic LOOGY, which can be a pretty useful piece with virtually no cost if he just sits in the minors, and nominal costs even if he makes the team for the second half.