Pepper: Tom Wilhelmsen, and CF
...because if Matty checks in to the site, sees the Seahawk stuff but no Mariners shtick, he's going to be grumpy for three days ;- )
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=== Tom Wilhelmsen ===
Checked into the game on Sept. 10th and threw his first pitch at 98 mph.
He threw 10 fastballs, only one of which was less than 97 mph. (That one was 96 mph.) As we get later into the season, and later into Wilhelmsen's career, he throws faster and faster ... with less and less effort. He is now 97-99 with a batting-practice motion.
It is not a relief-pitcher thing. It is a blessed-by-nature thing.
You'll rarely find a more extreme starter's motion or starter's rhythm. Give Tom Wilhelmsen 180 innings next year, and I'll guarantee you that his FB velocity is top 6 or 8 in the league. It could very easily be first in the league.
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It is very early in Wilhelmsen's career, and his offspeed stuff is exciting but is not yet usable (all of his breaking pitches have terrible run values).
Despite throwing 75% fastballs, and having nothing else that ML hitters have to worry about, Wilhelmsen's K's and FB run values are through the roof -- 2.00+ run value on the fastball they are sitting on.
It's not movement. At 3-4 inches armside run and 7 inches rise, Wilhelmsen's four-seamer moves about half a baseball less than most four-seamers.
The man just has a dominating, overwhelming, Verlander-esque fastball. It's tough at 95 and it's money in the bank at 97-99.
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Perhaps the Mariners feel that he was tried as a starter and failed; ... hey, he's just getting going on that breaking ball. When it's down, he is Josh Beckett Florida. Wilhelmsen is on an arc up. Why Kodak him at one moment on that arc and close the file?
Think of him as a 21-year-old AA pitcher, with a fastball that even ML'ers can't touch, an evolving 12-6 change curve, and a 9-strikeout rate in the bigs, and you'll get the idea. This is is a guy to watch. And Zduriencik is watching 'im.
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Don't watch too closely. Ever seen this guy on TV? The picture above is about the least disturbing you'll see him.
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=== I Can Be ... Gotta Be ... Center Field ===
Casper Wells in CF on Sunday; Trayvon Robinson played it on Friday. This intersects with Carp sightings in LF.
The only reason to put Mike Carp in LF, is to clear DH. For a free agent. In 2012, Casper Wells and Trayvon Robinson will not DH while Mike Carp plays LF.
Carp in LF, the other young outfielders in center, that is contemplation of a new DH who can hit better than Carp and Wells.