Colome certainly "feels" like Aardsma Part Deux, doesn't he?
Of course, this is precisely why I'm shorting the Seattle bullpen. Even after 70 innings from Aardsma - I don't trust HIM to repeat his 2009 success. Oddly enough, my intuition is more positive about Colome than Aardsma. The "newness" factors in here. Pitchers especially seem to have an uncanny ability to put together *ONE* (1) - (with a capital "Wuh") - miracle season that defies all previous results, and then return to "Fringe World", while the original stiff comes back.
"Can I have an order of Loaiza to go with a side of John Burkett?"
I certainly don't have any feel for telling the "he's really taken his game to a new level" vs. "he just had a lot of things go perfectly" guys.
The plus in all this is there ARE pitching coaches who routinely and repetitively transmogrify pitching disasters into viable commodities. Maybe Seattle has that guy.
Bench Business-----
Garko is gone, and right out of the box who shows up at first base? Why, it's Matt Tuiasosopo!
Could they be thinking that Tui could fill both the Garko role and the Byrnes role (except not playing CF), and Hannahan comes back to take the backup IF spot?
In other words, Tui as the emergency SS only lasts until Hannahan returns, allowing the defensive paradigm to return to its natural repose (whew! that was close!), and then Byrnes gets cut? In that sense you'd have Sweeney for Garko and Tui for Byrnes, with Tui taking on both defensive rolesp>
11 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
That's the spring line of the last reliever left, and therefore the presumptive 7th guy in the bullpen: Jesus Colome (http://blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners/2010/03/25/in-search-of-a-feel-good-story-jesus-colome/)
The theory is that Rick Adair made corrections that completely changed him at age 32.
Nine years of MLB experience and 4.7 BB/9, until 11 ST innings, post-Adair.
Matt's not biting. Anyone else?
Comments
I've been convinced for a whle that Tui will see some 1B time (or 3B time with Lopez moving to 1B--it amounts to the same thing) and have been interested to see what happens when Hannahan is available.
In that situation I would love to see Kotchman be moved. Hannahan AND Tui And Sweeney AND Lopez could man 1B. But I'm not betting on that one.
If Tui hits the ball early....I think they will leave Hannahan off the 25. I can't see Byrnes going. He's the CF bench guy. They could bring Langerhans back for that...but then would have to move somebody, anyway.
Best situation (beyond Kotchman ending up in KC or on another far away planet) might be that Jr. tweaks something and needs 60 days.
Burkett wasn't really a fluke...he just benefited from great defense in his best year and suffered from horrible defense in anumber of seasons otherwise. His DNRA+ was always pretty darned good.
I think the move here is based on the reality that Seattle is smart enough to know they're WAY better off having Sweeney hit for 100 games - than have him field for 5 and hit for 40. With Garko out of the picture, they need SOMEONE to backup Kotchman, (though I'm thinking they are planning to repeat the Branyan plan) -- which means Kotchman isn't intended to be in a platoon at all -- he's gonna be everyday guy - with Sweeney and Griffey splitting the DH duties.
Kotch doesn't have a horrible left/right split. While Garko was an obvious platoon choice, Kotch isn't.
I know the concensus is Kotchman is Jose Vidro redux - but Jack is certainly looking "all in" on Casey. Personally, I'm cautiously optimistic. I'd prefer he START the season hitting 6th, and earn his way to the 3-hole -- but I can see the argument that putting him in the 3-hole from day one -- and telling him -- you're NOT in a platoon - you are THE 1B for this team -- could be precisely what the kid needs to hear to reach his potential.
From June 10 on, he threw 43 innings, struck out 49 and walked 14 for a 2.93 ERA. The walks come out to 2.93/9, and if you take May 31st away from his line (he was used more times in may, 16, than in any other month and pitched 3 days in a row twice, I think that was much more usage than he had gotten in his career previously), his control ratio for the year is 3.8/9 down from 4.3/9. I think the control is probably around to stay. The homeruns are still a little low though, but I don't think he'll return anywhere close to the 5.5+ ERAs of his past
He looks identical to last year except every pitch he throws is being hit at about 140 mph. I think he's a MAJOR liability.
That he wasn't throwing the fastball very much, maybe tinkering with his splitter or doesn't he have a show-me slider too? Besides, spring training is for getting ready for the season. Do you think Tim Lincecum is done based on his spring, he got trounced by the Mariners twice. And Aardsma has looked a bit better in his last 3 appearances if I remember.
...he was throwing his fastball on every blinkin' pitch...all 94-95 mph (adjusted for the low readings of the Peoria gun) and they were getting returned to sender at the speed of lsound. So no...I don't think he was working on his offspeed pitches all spring.
And if by looked better you mean didn't give up any runs, then yes...his last three appearances, he's gone 3 IP, 0 ER...but also 0 K, 2 BB, 3 H. So...not much better.
It was 1 BB and 1 K and 1 hit with 5 ground outs to 2 air outs.
I was apparently remembering incorrectly from the boxscores...I still don';t trust him.
I talk up Casey Kotchman, the next day he hits a couple weak grounders on TV. I talk up David Aardsma, he walks a guy, gives up 3 hits, and a homerun.....
Oh yeah...Aardsma looks MUCH better now. He's ready to mow down the league with that stuff.