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I hadn't seen this Jerry DiPoto interview from last week.  As usual, he was willing to say things that Jack Zduriencik would never have said in a jillion years.  Biggest winner out of the Jerry D hire was Dr. D as a blogger.  DiPoto was caught on camera saying:

1) If Hultzen looks like DiPoto hopes he will look, and half-expects him to look, then --- > Furbush and Hultzen are the two lefties out of the bullpen.  In that sense, it's Hultzen's job to lose.  (Imagine Zduriencik saying that.)

2) Hultzen was one of the best amateur pitchers ever,* one of the best SP prospects of the last 20 years.  *Ever, meaning during DiPoto's ever.

3) DiPoto expects him to regain his arm strength for 2016, sees no reason that Hultzen can't recover to 100%.

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If any of that became even vaguely the reality, then ... we've all had our white boards way wrong.  That's point A.

But point B is that the M's would pull a Daniel Bard-type impact reliever out of their ears.  It's interesting that several of the recent "miracle" SP-RP conversions were college SP's who were drafted top 10 ... Daniel Bard, Luke Hochevar, Andrew Miller, etc.  Obviously Hultzen will have to get past the major shoulder surgery, but that becomes less unpossible every year that medicine advances.

Luke Hochevar was drafted #1 overall in 2006, and had his amazing bullpen season in --- > 2013.  In other words, a year or six' worth of delay doesn't imply the end of the line.  Andrew Miller was drafted 1-6 that same summer of 2006, bounced around the rotation and pen until --- > 2012, and then became a Frankenstein.  Daniel Bard was also taken 1st round 2006; he parachuted into the majors as a colossus "only" three years later, 2009.  Gentle Reader may draw up his own list of talented SP's who got their fame and fortune only after given the lighter workloads in relief.

But that's fascinating, that you can DFA a pitcher the same winter you go on record that if he's right come March, it's his job to lose.  I love it.

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A couple of years ago, James answered a question thusly.  I like point 2) :

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Bill, Luke Hochevar is extremely effective this year (1.70 ERA) after a few years of being a #5 starter. Is there some way to guess which "bad" starters will be great relievers. Is it only which starter has a great fastball and weak 2nd and 3rd pitches?

Asked by: Steve9753

Answered: 9/12/2013

I don't think it is that easy, no.      It's an issue that we wrestle with quite often.   It is generally true:

1)  That almost all pitchers are more effective (per inning) in relief than they are as starters, and

2)  That SOME pitchers--probably 30%--are very dramatically more effective as relievers than as starters.

You go into every winter looking for more relievers, looking for relievers who will have a good year next year, and there are always a field of failed starting pitchers who are candidates for those positions.    We thus spend a good amount of time discussing this exact issue you raise:  can this pitcher be effective in the bullpen?  

If there was an easy way to tell, I think we'd have found it by now.  

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Danny Hultzen was back to throwing 95 MPH *last* spring, and so this past year off could feasibly leave him tanned, rested, and ready, as DiPoto envisions.  He's just a draw at the deck, but what a draw he is.

BABVA,

Dr D