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Hey Doc,
I looked for the dreaded upside down W in Capps but really didn't see much of it. I tried to stop and start as much as I could, but I could never really catch a shot with his right elbow that high. Can you capture a moment in his delivery and highlight that? The shot you've captured, above, really doesn't show much of an invert, IMHO.
I like the leg slide, as it may be quite deceptive. I love his arm slot. I don't know what he throws, besides gas, but I would imagine he has a flattish curve with lots of gloveside break (is that what I'm seeing in the play-by-play) and a cutter/slider/something #3 with lots of movement.
But what I thought was interesting (and you quasi-mentioned it, too) was that he had a semi-El Tiante/Felix turn-away from the plate. I would accentuate that, I think. A little more turn, and with that Nelson slide, you would have a great deal of motion......and then the guy at the plate would still have to pick up a 98 MPH heater. You would have to look at back then leg then glove THEN find a Ryan Express-type fastball. Yikes!
Uh...no thanks, were I the guy at the plate.
And as for the maximum effort finish, well it didn't seem to negatively impact a Gibson or Bunning. It'll do.
Snow is just classically smooth. Looks like a guy just playing catch.
But Capps can get out MLB guys right now. If he handled Venable he will have no problem getting out most RH hitting guys. Holy snot, how many guys touch 98 right now? It's not like guys see a bunch of FB's like that. Heck, a bit of wildness might not hurt Capps.
Can he throw gas two days in a row? If so, he's a guy who could easily pitch 70-80 innings for the M's this year. Nelson did that. Is that more valuable than the 140 he'll pitch as a starter in he minors? And working him from the pen this year doesn't mean he's always going to be a pen guy.
I think your experiment might just work.
You didn't mention that in his "Thermonuclear" Cape Cod innings, Capps gave up exactly 1 earned run. 0.39 ERA, if you're counting.
The M's are loaded with young arms. We are WAY short of current bullpen arms. Let the supply meet the demand.
moe