Jonathan Aro, RP
another 'anti-Ramirezes' reliever comin' to camp

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TEMPLATE

In his Red Sox callup, at least, Aro used the following repertoire:

  1. 11 pitches per inning = 93 MPH fastball (it's 93 on the gun and also 93 perceived)
  2. 2 pitches per inning = 84 MPH armside changeup
  3. 2 pitches per inning = 86 MPH gloveside slider

Other relievers who throw like that -- tons of fastballs with a decent not great snake-tongue offspeed game -- include:

  • Jake Petricka CHI, who fans 6 per game and walks 3 in DiPoto style
  • Roberto Osuna TOR, who throws harder (and dominates)
  • Shawn Tolleson TEX, who has jelled as a frontline setup man

If a pitcher has plus command and decent giddyap on his fastball, this super-boring little repertoire can be very reliable.  DOES he have that kind of command?  Well, the last couple of years he's run minor league CTL ratios of 72:18 and 98:29.  After he was promoted to AAA, it actually spiked to 53:10 and only 2 homers.

The only glimpse MLB.com offers is this excellent changeup.  Aro has an understated, quiet motion, a nose-to-leather "ki" factor, and he sells the change nicely.  That pitch, anyway, he makes it look like throwing darts in the pub.

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DR's PROGNOSIS

Haven't talked much about Aro.  He's been jogging along head down, middle of the pack, don't hack off the drill sergeant.  Well, his virtual self has been doing that; probably the real Jonathan Aro has interest in separation from the pack.  

If that's what Aro does in March, make the ballclub over Scribner and Nuno and Cook and Co., it will likely be for the fact that he's a Jerry DiPoto kind of reliever.  "All things being equal, I'll give up some strikeouts in order to not give up free bases."

Aro is actually rather interesting, a kind of analogue to Anthony Bass.  They're both low-BB types who can go multiple innings.  Perhaps Aro is one of the reasons the M's kowtowed to Bass' request and powerflushed him. 

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The Seattle Times today remarked that if Dae-ho Lee looks good in March, then Lee is in there and Montero is out.  Thing is, Lee might disappoint, and then you're left with a known quantity.  DiPoto's March roster seems to be well-organized that way:  there are wild dice throws like Evan Scribner, Dae-ho Lee, and Chris Taylor, and if the dice rolls bust, there are stoploss commodities such as Jonathan Aro, Jesus Montero, and Luis Sardinas behind them.

I'd like to see Scribner run that huge yakker out there and give us the 64:4 strikeout ratio, but if he doesn't, Aro can probably raise the floor which was carpeted by 23 different negative WAR players last year.  We root for the upside guys, but it's nice to have the "responsible" commodities standing behind them arms folded.

BABVA,

Dr D

Blog: 

Comments

1

I was really hoping for more out of Aro, based on the cost to acquire him... but as you say, he is a Dipoto type pitcher. Sigh... I am not yet convinced that Aro truly has the consistent skills to accel as this type of pitcher at the MLB level.  

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