Comments on: Missing The Opportunity

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:41:12 +0000

Crow looks like he has been in the pen for years and I believe he belongs there. He goes straight after everyone he faces and he looks like a seasoned vet (in this case it might be that “ignorance is bliss”). For all of you who believe Crow should be in the rotation, just think back (not too far back) when the bullpen was blowing every quality start that was thrown by our better starters. Now think about replacing this year’s bullpen the sub-par pens that we have staffed before. How many losses then? They MIGHT be 4-7 (probably a generous number). KC has been to extra frames four times and has yet to be blown out- once again once again all because of the bullpen. You can’t argue that this is all the benefit of a better-than-average pen. With a couple of quality starters on deck for the bigs you need a strong pen to keep the team in games if they struggle early in thier ML careers. Keeping Crow in the pen might pave the way to get Duffy or Montgomery up sooner. Not that we need another reason, but if Yost starts pulling reliable relievers to the rotation and we have one injury the pen might fall apart and then kiss the good start goodbye.

By: airgoesit

airgoesit — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:44:44 +0000

thank you kcrb. none of this conversation exists if Butler throws to second base instead of rushing a throw to CF and his back up wasn’t Pedro Cirano. (Where’s the live chickens!!!)
Can we stop the Hosmer to the OF BS now?

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:44:37 +0000

Well Kyle is going to get credit for the W today. The only credit deserved is pulling him before he completely blew it…He’s a bad starter. I’m not worried about SOS or Mazarro because neither one of them have been terrible 3x this year. Kyle will get the ball again a week from now and it will take another 9 run effort to win the game.

By: Zack Daddy

Zack Daddy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:22:32 +0000

Not that you need my blessing or care to have it, but I grant each blogger at RA to impose as much cynicism, sarcasm and negativity about Kyle Davies as he wishes.

By: Ted

Ted — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:48:37 +0000

Jason: That’s a good point about the non-bunt. Another reason why I will never manage a baseball team.

By: jamboslice

jamboslice — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:39:48 +0000

Anybody hate Danny Valenica besides me and not because of his hit last night? A below average hitter that’s way to cocky for his current role.

By: Ted

Ted — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:13:44 +0000

Clark, I get what you are saying about Crow, but I disagree that now was the time to move him to the pen (if it is a permanent move). Actually, scratch that, I think it was the wrong time to move him to the pen, period, because if he has success in the pen, they likely won’t ever try him in the rotation again. Soria = case in point.

Maybe Crow really is not a ML starter, but one season of MiLB does not seem like enough time to determine that answer. Look at Martin Perez in Texas. He had a horrid season last year, and, yes, his stock did drop, but no one is writing him off just yet as a starter.

I think if you have guys with Crow’s talent, you give them every opportunity to prove themselves incapable of holding down a job in the rotation. Yes, if it doesn’t happen, you don’t keep him there because of draft position (Hoch?) or because you lack options (Davies?), but starting his ML service time in the pen strikes me as a recipe for never knowing what we might have had (Soria?).

And this business about two pitches not being enough might be true, but Verlander and Hamels are both essentially two-pitch starters. There is the indominable Mr Wakefield. Francisco Liriano is an artist with two pitches, using his third (change up) to good effect by limiting its use and not getting beat with it.

By: Ted

Ted — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:02:25 +0000

Casilla’s stolen base should have been a throwing error on Butler. Too bad about it, too, because Francis executed a beautiful pickoff move to get that started. (Speaking of Francis’ defense, it is good; he had the pickoff attempt plus three assists, showing nice athleticism when he came off the mound to field a bunt attempt and also in making two above average snags on balls hit back at him.)

By: kcrb

kcrb — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:51:41 +0000

everybody is always saying, “….But butler has hardly any errors….” its not necessarily the errors that make him a bad first baseman…its the little things around the bag…bad foot work, not stretching to save a few bad throws…and etc…i think i have counted 3 runs directly due to his sub par defense…and there may be more…i’m not bashing the guy, but he is not a first baseman

By: Nick Scott

Nick Scott — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:41:13 +0000

I’m fine bringing Tejeda in the game, but I’d have had a short leash if he failed. I don’t think it was a completely crazy decision, but one that deserves to be second guessed.