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And you're absolutely right about the breaking pitches. When they asked Maurer how felt he was doing he griped that he wanted to get his curve up more for strikes instead of spiking it in the dirt all the time, and that's what he was working on.
He wants all the pitches, all for strikes, all the time. Gotta love that. :-)
The reason I comped him to Meche (besides the pitches and such) is for health reasons. Maurer had trouble putting in full seasons until this very last year, so I can understand their reluctance to pencil him in for 180+ innings this year.
HOWEVER - keeping him in the minors saves him maybe a start in the beginning of the year (since the minors starts a week later) and then he's on the same schedule as he would be in the bigs. If you throw Garland overboard in May, or at the All-Star break, you're still gonna get into "scary innings" with Maurer in August and September if he's starting all year.
Makes me shake my head. The kids have gotta pitch. Maurer threw 137 innings last year. He's good for 180, which is what a #5 starter should get. Erasmo threw 136 last year after tossing 150+ the previous TWO years.
Let the kids throw. Neither Garland nor Bonderman are a part of our next pennant winner unless we win the pennant THIS year - and I think the kids would be more helpful in that regard. Oakland wasn't afraid of the kids in the rotation. Maybe that wasn't their first choice, but it did turn out to be their best option. Our rotation goes Felix / Iwakuma / Saunders /... and a couple of blank spots. Maybe Saunders should be a blank spot too, but he isn't.
I understand not wanting to fill them all with kids. I get the Fear Factor involved there, and the Noesi disaster from last season probably doesn't help settle the stomach. I know it makes me want to lose my breakfast.
But is Felix / Iwakuma / Saunders / Garland / Beavan really the best 5 pitchers we can roll out there in April?
Right now Maurer with a 1+ ERA and a K per 9 and Erasmo with a the same ERA and ridiculous control and command are saying that's probably not the case.
I really, REALLY hope both guys aren't shut out of the April rotation. A potential Tacoma rotation of Hultzen / Paxton / Walker / Maurer / Erasmo sounds great for anybody with Rainiers season tickets, but that's a LOT of talent that isn't helping the big league squad get Ws - and we aren't likely to replace 3 starters midseason with the best Tacoma has to offer, either.
It would push back their learning curve along with their service time. That isn't what I wanna see.
~G