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=== Steve Del-a-Bar-the-Doors Dept. ===
Coming off the winter, the question was how much velocity he'd bring back. He's still a cur pup, a year off the junior high blackboards, with an elbow "put together at McClendon's hardware." A couple of hot months are fine as far as they go, but Delebar hasn't presented a stationary target to anybody yet.
Goodie gumdrops: on March 14, Delabar had every blinkin' inch the life on his fastball that he'd showed in 2011. He got four garbage swings in the 6th inning alone, and had several other fastballs fouled back over the 1B dugout by lefty batters. He was throwing the ball by 'em.
His Delabar Deuce had that same oddball 12-6 break fading away from LH's. He sells it hard, with an emphatic wrist snap, and if it's not wild it's going to be a strike. I don't specifically remember a hitter making contact with it, and none did today.
..........
That's the good news. The bad news is that Delabar's weight transfer and mechanics are unpredictable, as is his command in the strike zone. He's been "effectively wild" -- the catcher sets up outside, and here comes a jam pitch. Which has the same effect, but...
He looks like a talented and deceptive pitcher who belongs in AAA, working out his consistency. But he may only have a year or two's worth of bullets in the gun. Exciting player, though we do remember that between a "Brandon League" and a "Steve Delabar" there is a long, long stretch of ground to cover.
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=== Oliver Perez ===
Comes LH sidearm with a max, MAX effort delivery, violently shaking the head, jerking the front shoulder, and a Dance-Dance video hall championship in his future.
Live stuff, 92 mph left side, a tight-spin slider ... and he got ripped again. By the Royals. Here comes the nasty-looking little LH dart, and there it goes, long and far, off the fence.
He must show the ball or something. Some guys, the batters just SEE real great.
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=== Cesar Jimenez ===
As you know, Zduriencik is fond of boring-looking 88 MPH lefty vanilla ice cream. What this org is doing, at this time of the day, with an 88 lefty reliever, is somebody else's midterm paper. As Syndrome told Mr. Incredible: I've outgrown you. Well, except perhaps Jimenez gets an op cit. in the footnote below...
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=== Dr's R/X ===
Delabar and Wilhelmsen personify this bullpen. Plenty of upside, but even more white-knuckle factor. Wish they'd have gotten one Balfour or Fuentes, instead of four George Sherrills.
Want to hear something weird, they may need Erasmo Ramirez to stabilize them down there. Somebody who will give you strike one, first time every time. Somebody who can really take advantage of Vinnie's glove down there.