Wade Miller – 0.5 years
Roy Oswalt – rookie
Tim Redding - rookie, pitched half the year in the bigs
Miller and Oswalt were something else together. If Miller had stayed healthy...
Redding was like a short, fat version of Paxton that didn't work out, but the 'Stros were definitely willing to put some inexperienced pitchers in the front of their rotation.
It has been done.
But for us, Pineda would be our Miller (hopefully with more health) with Paxton breaking camp with the Ms and Hultzen coming up in June as reinforcements.
I don't really expect that to happen, but it would be interesting. I expect our starting 5 in the beginning of the year to be Felix, Pineda, Bedard (or the like), Vargas and either Beavan or Furbush. Paxton would cram into AAA and be fighting for the first available shot alongside Erasmo and Andy Carraway, while Hultzen would go to AA to hang out with Gillheeney and Maurer for a few weeks.
But wouldn't it be nice if we didn't need to have any more spacers, spare parts and place holders? I keep telling myself I can be patient for one more year, but man: Felix, Pineda, Paxton, Hultzen and either Erasmo or Carraway with Maurer, Walker and Campos on the climb sounds fabulous.
And cheap! *laughs*
~G
..............
By the time my man, your man, the San-Man was done taping incredulous caps and **!?!?$** marks onto his parcel-post delivery, "Is Z *really* THAT aggressive?!?" ... Dr D's roman candle was pleasantly lit.
Wanna get serious, mate? :- ) Step up.
Ya, we know. South'n man hopes Dr D will remember, South'n man don' need him aroun' anyhow.
He remembers, he remembers. But west of the Mississippi, it iss Heil der Bazeball-Reference kommissar. Go for your (stats) luger, Freunde sind.
.......
::WWII stand-tall, straight-arm sight-fire::
If you are looking for specific examples of major league GM's stuffing rookies into the same rotation together, you don't have to look far. At SSI, we live to serve.
The 2009 Oakland A's handed the ball, out of spring training, to a couple of 21-year-old pure rookies. These pitchers debut'ed together in the majors in Opening Week of 2009. Those being Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill.
That same 2009 A's team put Gio Gonzalez into the rotation, one month later, on May 3. In arb-clock terms, this would be analogous* to the Mariners bringing Taijuan Walker up after a single month in AAA.
The 2009 A's also gave 17 starts to pure rookie Vin Mazzaro, also, starting on June 2.
In other words, Billy Beane handed the ball to his Hultzen and Paxton out of spring training, and then brought his (very poor) versions of Taijuan and Jose Campos up in May and June. Just enough of a delay to stiff-arm their free agency clocks.
In none of these cases was Beane concerned about dues, about pecking orders, about demonstrated work ethic. Beane simply grokked that Brett Anderson (James Paxton) was a better pitcher than Dana Eveland (Blake Beavan), so Anderson was in there.
.......
The outcome? The next year, 2010, Geoff Baker interviewed Bill James about the AL West. Remember, the M's were coming off a surprise season.
You like the M's, Bill? "Actually, if the A's young pitchers are going to come through like I think they are, they're more of a problem than the Mariners..."
If, in 2012, Jack Zduriencik shoved all of his young pitching into the rotation, then the 2009-Oakland echo might be merely to sharpen the M's canines for some serious chewing in 2013.
More examples of rookie-bloated rotations later...
Comments
By the time my man, your man, the San-Man was done taping incredulous caps and **!?!?$** marks onto his parcel-post delivery, "Is Z *really* THAT aggressive?!?" ... Dr D's roman candle was pleasantly lit.
Is that (note italics, not caps) all we have to do light the fuse? And we get treated to, say six (italics again) rapid-fire articles?
I gotta say, KEEP EET COMING!!!!****!!!!
They're ON to me !?!
Swinging it the other way like you say G ... dangling the spots in front of Paxton and Hultzen early, just to be sure they stand as tall as they can on the windup...
Zduriencik has demonstrated his liking for a competitive situation, especially with the young OF's last year. As with Milwaukee, he likes rookies to force their way in.
That, to me, is subtly different than a "paying the dues" mindset and is not one that alienates me, personally.
Largely because of young guns Miller and Oswalt.
2000 = 104 offense, 92 pitching
2001 = 99 offense, 106 pitching (Oswalt 170 ERA+, Miller 136)
As you say, Redding came up in early June and fanned a batter per inning, but didn't jell.
............
I think we're going to find that teams put kids in there .... when. they. have. them.
Not many teams have had Pineda, Paxton, and Hultzen all at once. Those that have had, have used 'em.