Q.  Is an extreme sinkerballer useful in the pen, or does he need to start, get the percentages going for him?

A.  Sure.  Probably 20 ML teams have a groundball specialist in the 'pen at any given time.  If a guy throws a true ground-pounding sinker, that's a very popular guy to use in the 'pen.  Managers bring them in bases loaded.

The M's themselves are very, ah, creative when it comes to pitchers with lousy CTL ratios, which Yoogth will probably have. 

If they don't mind Sean White's and Jamey Wright's and even Ian Snell's 1:1's, why would they mind a weird CTL if they have a real-life 3.0 GB guy, where the CTL actually is a negotiable?

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Q.  Is Ring really trying to reinvent himself, become a poor man's Tommy John?

A.  The Yankees radically overhauled Ring's pitch selection, yes.

Actually, Ring is in a career transition.  Last year was the first year he started throwing the sinker exclusively.  And his walks have been way down the last year or two.  So, obviously, you start to wonder where that career transition could take him.

Lotta fans forget that the age-arc principle applies mostly to hitters.  Pitchers aren't piling up pitch-recognition experience in a smooth curve.  Pitchers are trying to figure out a circle change, or smooth a mechanic, or find their strength, or pitch sequence... they reinvent themselves.

I don't think the old Ring ever had a shot.  The new Ring, the one

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Q.  Is it do-able for Ring to become a legit ML sinkerballer?  Could he have a Vargas year or two --- > in the Tommy John style?

A. Well .... the actual Tommy John walked like 1.1 men per nine.  Ring has walked ... um... 5 per nine.

John defines the genre:  he gave up tons of singles but nothing else at all.  Not even SB's.  As James put it, "it takes a lot of singles to beat you."   Can Ring minimize everything else he gives up?

..................

Realistically, it's not that hard for a sinker-ONLY guy to throw strikes.  He just flips the dart in there at the knee-high bullseye every pitch.  Derek Lowe doesn't walk anybody.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Ring zero'ing in on the sinker only, and cobbling a couple of Vargas-like years.  Say odds are 3:1 in the house's favor.  But it's worth a look in March.

Which is what all 30 GM's agreed on:  NRI in March.

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Q.  Pretty crowded pen.  Under what circumstances would Yoogth help the M's in 2010?

A.  If he came out in March and threw that sinker every pitch, and walked nobody and scored one grounder after another, the M's could have something.

Odds against, but at least the Yeti is something to break the monotony.

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Cheerio,

Dr D