Tom Wilhelmsen would be one of the more interesting POTD candidates. 27 year old who'd never even reached Hi-A dominates the AFL, gets named a potential TOR SP by Gmoney, wins a MLB bullpen spot out of Spring Training, and then strikes out 8 in his first 7.2 big league IP.
Looks like there's some control issues throughout his career which have also carried over to the majors, but big time strikeout totals and he's the anti-Bedard for HR's allowed. Not many 6'6'', 230 lb. RH SP's either.
I'm actually expecting a decent start from Bedard tonight - the Tigers have a lot of dead weight in their lineup and can't hit LH's. However, looks like his two starts after that are the Rangers and White Sox. If he gives up 10+ ER over those two starts, it might be time to start looking at other options even if he doesn't hit the DL.
Doug Fister FOREVER IN DEBT TO YOUR PRICELESS ADVICE Dept. - We didn't write a postgame after that one, but Doogie again fanned 5 guys in 6 innings, running his streak to 17 in his last 19 innings.
We'd mentioned after his previous start that his changeup had almost been lost in the wash ... against a LH Oakland lineup he busted it out for 17-of-22 strikes.
How was his sparkly new 12-6 curve under Olivo's supervision? Against Oakland, he cranked up the break on it until he could barely keep it in the zone. We are talking a true Aaron Sele yellow hammer at this point, gentlemen. At times, in key situations, he shook the catcher off so as to throw that crackling curve.
Need we remind you that last year, Fister did not have a curve at all. He threw it only 8% of the time, for a terrible run value.
Now he throws that curve, frightening the hitters, and when he comes back with the fastball It. Is. By. Them. Baby.
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Against Oakland, Fister's fastball clocked a legit 90 mph average, which from him is equal to 93+ from a shorter guy. Yet, he threw 58 offspeed pitches against 50 precision-guided fastballs. He just dominated.
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You could compare Doug Fister to a Greg Maddux Lite: very precise (minus velo) fastball, excellent movement, with located offspeed pitches.
But you know what, there was a Greg Maddux who was different in these wasy:
- He threw 3 instead of 4 pitches,
- He threw 89-90 mph rather than 87-88
- He relied more heavily on a 12-6 curveball
That variant on the Maddux template was named Orel Hershiser.
No, LrkrBoi29, we're not saying Fister is about to throw 50 consecutive scoreless innings up to the start of the offseason, but he is certainly throwing the ball great right now. Dr. Detecto is psyched to the max about Doogie "Yellow Hammer" Fister, b'lee dat.
I don't know what Fister will be, but what he has been, over the last three games, was one whale of a fine Orel Hershiser impersonation.
Seriously. You ever watch Orel pitch in the '80's? If you missed it, you coulda caught one of the last couple Doogie games. Looked the same.
Hey, what number is Fister again?
rst three games, he had excellent stuff, sloppy command, and (mostly) terrible luck.
Discussion over Bedard's April must start and end with his luck stats.
Nobody deserves a 29% HR/Fly rate, whatever their command. James Shields led the majors last year at 13.8%. Bedard simply gave up several unlucky HR's. His S% and BABIP has been off, too.
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That said, Bedard's fourth start was alarming. The first pitch of the game was 87 mph, jerked way off the strike zone ... I buried my face in my hands. OH NOOOooooooo.
He didn't walk off the mound like Norm-Norm in Texas, but his velocity remained way off, he couldn't hit the strike zone, much less the mitt, and he looked like --- > he was about to go onto the DL.
That's not a vague, hyperbolic statement. Starting in the first inning, he evidenced all the signs of a pitcher who'd already thrown 100 pitches that day.
It's interesting: my son John swore that on the TV, Dave Sims said that Bedard had thrown the night before, for a minor league team, or a simulated game, or something like that. Somebody help me out?
If that's what Bedard did, throw extra in-between starts, then that explains why he looked gassed on the 20th.
But if not -- if his arm is sore already in 2011, after all that rest -- then it's definitely time for Kerry Wood Kloser II.
Wednesday's start will answer my question there. For Bedard to need to build arm strength inside the shoulder?, that is not in itself a big concern. But if he's in pain already, he's done as a starter.
Presumption is towards the positive. He doesn't personally act like a guy who's done.
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=== #6 SP Dept. ===
If Bedard did move to the 'pen, there would be a lot of positives in that. He and League would be death on a stick, and the M's could go to a 2001 six-inning approach.
SSI is enthused about Tom Wilhelmsen's classic three-pitch repertoire, his 94 heater, his ability to reach back for 98, his starter's rhythm, and the mileage left on his arm. Make it so, Capt.
Wonder how much time he'd need in Cheney to stretch out to five innings. Wilhelmsen is a real throwback. I flat enjoy watching him pitch.
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BABVA,
Dr D
Comments
I think what I see in Bedard overall (even early in April during his "bad luck" starts)...was a guy how didn't have feather touch to locate his breaking ball anymore. The angle on it looks less down and more slideways (misspelling intentional). It's still an effective pitch...but doesn't change the eye level as much to help his fastball. And his fastball, while lively, is not 93-94 even when he humps up...and when he does hump up, he misses badly almost every time. He looks like the free throw shooter who's lost the fine touch and is clanking too many...I think the arm just doesn't have what it needs to throw hard AND throw accurately...when he aims, he gets pasted...when he tries to pitch tight, he throws too many balls and curve doesn't snap as hard...leading to a lower SWS% and longer at bats (higher pitch counts).
In the bullpen, I think you would see some life return to the curve because he wouldn't have to pace himself at all...he could max out on every pitch and the command would come back. He would be George Sherrill + 4 mph of heat and 5 inches of break. Read: death on a stick, as Doc put it.
And frankly...while we're stretching out Wilhelmson, we could also be starting David Pauley...who can pitch a bit in the bigs and is probably better in the rotation than Bedard right now anyway. So it's a double (or triple!) upgrade...Bedard is better as a LOOGY than Laffey, Pauley is better in the rotation than Pauley, and Laffey is better used as a longman than as a lefty specialist. That would give you five (!) pitchers I'm OK with in the bullpen: Aarsdsma, League, Bedard, Wright, Laffey. You could probably run a six-man pen too with Laffey and the extra arm able to eat up innings when a starter burns out.
That should read: "Pauley is better in the rotation than Bedard"
Just need to get the time...
Wilhelmsen has the stroke he needs, but tends to sail the ball high and right when he doesn't throw a lot, such as right now, buried in the bullpen...
the overthrowing is an indication that he has attitude problems, which are to be expected. If a guy in his shoes WAS sure of himself in the majors, there would be something wrong. Like a 65 Rube Waddell IQ.
LOL - anyone still want Bedard in the pen after tonight's start? Seven dominant innings, 88 pitches, no walks. This was the Bedard they traded for. Here's hoping for another 22 starts like this one in 2011.
So no...this wasn't the dominant Bedard...but he was on his game command-wise...which is a major improvement.
After he started throwing the wipeout curve at the end of the 5th, his fastball looked 99 mph.
Never quite realized just how much juice his overall game gets out of that scary curve.
My concern is that he's saving the curveball because it hurts him to throw it and he feels that he needs to keep it for when he needs it to finish an outing or a dangerous inning. Or even perhaps that he's not throwing the curveball early because he's having a very hard time getting loose and doesn't have good snap on it until he gets loose...both of which are harbingers of serious injury.