Experience vs. potential in the bullpen
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Mar 29, 2012 
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There are two big decisions in Yankees camp this spring, and both are built around the expectation of a veteran vs. the potential of a young pitcher. Most of the attention is rightfully focused on the rotation — Freddy Garcia vs. a trio of 20-somethings — but the last spot in the bullpen is also up for grabs.
Veteran Clay Rapada vs. Rule 5 pick Cesar Cabral.
“I think it comes down to trying to make an educated guess of what the upside (of Cabral) is versus you know what you’re getting from Clay,” Joe Girardi said. “It’s kind of similar to the young starters versus Freddy. That’s what you have to set your mind on and go with your heart.”
Rapada has been terrific against left-handers this spring, and he’s held them to a .153 average in his big league career. He’s 31 years old, brings an 86-87 mph fastball and big slider from an extreme arm angle, and right-handers feast on him. But he’s good against lefties.
Cabral is 23 years old. His raw stuff is easily more impressive than Rapada’s, and obviously the upside seems to be much higher, but he’s never pitched above Double-A. This is the second time he’s been taken in the Rule 5. He’s given up more than a hit per inning this spring, but he’s also struck out 12 and walked just two.
Rapada is the known quantity. Cabral is the more exciting possibility.
“I think Clay’s ability to change angles on left-handers has always been tough,” Girardi said. “It’s a tough angle for lefties. Cesar has a good arm. We saw him get the strikeouts when he needed to the other day. His slider has improved as time went on. His changeup helps him against right-handers. It’s kind of the young vs. the experienced.”
Associated Press photo of Cabral
I was trying to build a case , where the 2nd and 3rd time thru the order, based on last years stats, Nova was much better, and Garcia became more hittable.
I can’t!
Garcia’s BAA and OPS are 1st, Nova’s 2nd:
hitters 16-30 BAA .295 OPS .805/ .271;.718
hitters 31-45 BAA .267 OPS .791/ .262; .725
hitters 46-60 BAA .252 OPS .654/ .242; .699
Rapada seems great against lefties….but he also seems like a guy that hitters could adjust to if they saw him enough…..Cabral does have more upisde and more potential to be versatile and get righties out…..Rapada is a true LOOGY which is nice to have….Cabral has the potential to be more. ….its a tough call…..which they coukd keep both in the organization somehow.
Blake-
yup. It is. Another one.
Not nearly as tough as the SP decision though.
Chad-
Good morning. At first I thought that Cabral would have to be offered back to the Red Sox. Since he is a 2nd time Rule 5, one of the posters mentioned that he goes thru waivers and the natural order AL 1st, NL 2nd. Is that correct?
I think Garcia starts the season in the rotation. I think this Nova vs. Pineda stuff is kinda bunk, and its Nova or Garcia. I think Nova starts in AAA or the pen, though the thing being left out of this conversation is that the AAA rotation is already pretty stacked..
Who would get bumped down to AA if they actually sent someone down? ManBan?
Blake-
I’m not saying the Yankees should do this, but they could bring Rapada and Cabral north and send Wade down to regain his form, and let the two lefties pitch thru the lefties in Tampa and Baltimore like Joyce, Scott, Brignac, Pena, Fuld, Markakis, and then make a decision as to which to keep.
Shame-
I hope that is NOT the way it goes.
YT-
Buying time can be a good thing.
In this case IMO you pretty much know what you are gonna get out of Rapada.
Guy is death on lefties.
He lacks the upside and versatility of Cabral.
As Chad said, similar decision to the SP one. Less import though.
I know MTU, and I don’t know that Nova ‘deserves’ it per say but I don’t know that Garcia does either…
Gotta believe there’s a ‘paying your dues’ aspect to this.
I just don’t think there’s a chance in hell they traded for Pineda to put him in AAA. I think they have too much invested in Hughes to not let him start (and luckily his ST results have been good). And Garcia really hasn’t done much to warrant being shunted to the pen. He even missed out on some bonus money last year and pulled some AAA starts.
“I think this Nova vs. Pineda stuff is kinda bunk, and its Nova or Garcia. I think Nova starts in AAA or the pen, though the thing being left out of this conversation is that the AAA rotation is already pretty stacked..”
are you saying what you think the yankees will do or what you think should be done?
to me it’s a total injustice to nova send him down and keep the new yankee who chose to show up in camp out of shape.
i don’t care about his talent. if pineda gets away with that and is rewarded with a spot over nova, it sends a really bad message to the whole minor league system.
Why on earth did the Red Sox not sign Colon? Glad they didn’t but I bet they are wishing they had…..
Randy-
Do you think the Yankees have the cajones to send Pineda to AAA ?
blake-
why the hell didn’t we ?
I don’t see how showing up to camp a few pounds overweight = coming to camp out of shape.
April 1st for opponents
Rays away:
6th-CC
7th-Kuroda
8th=Nova/Garcia
Orioles away:
9th-Hughes
10th-Pineda
11th-CC
12th Off day
Angels home:
13th-Kuroda
14th-Nova/Garcia
15th=Hughes
Twins home:
16th-Pineda
17th-CC
18th-Kuroda
19th-Nova/Garcia
I think it’s going to be between Nova and Garcia. If Nova doesn’t blow up in his minor league start, I think he’s in. Pineda as #5 will give him two early starts against the Orioles and Twins to build up some confidence and have his 1st home start against the Twins instead of the Angels.
From Twitter:
Yankeesource?:
M’s scout saw Gary Sanchez and said: “no wonder Montero was expendable.”
“Do you think the Yankees have the cajones to send Pineda to AAA ?”
i think the same thing could be asked of sending nova to AAA.
it’s a pretty ridiculous thing to do .
it’s not nova’s fault that cashman assembled a pitching staff that doesn’t make sense and spent too much to create a problem.
cashman might might want to take a grocery list to the store next time and buy just what he needs instead of just grabbing things off the shelf because he’s hungry.
How about keep them both and trade Booney? I have not followed the team close enough this spring to know if that is a good idea or not. I will say I am a little concerned that Logan has passed his usefull shelf life. Maybe now is the time to get rid of him before he reaches his “expiration date”. Of course if he has been great this spring disregard everything I just said.
YT-
Just like in the movie “Crimson Tide”.
The Yankees do a “crazy Ivan” and send Nova to AAA ?
I hope not. I sincerely hope not.
If they actually hope to get maximum value for Garcia at some point in a trade, which all teams should do with every asset, he needs to be in the rotation, and he has pitched well enough to be in it for pure baseball reasons as well.
If you really want Garcia in the Ro.
Pineda should be the Man who is sent down.
Would the Yankees have the stones ?
I seriously doubt it.
“How about keep them both and trade Booney?”
If only so we never have to hear that nickname again.
But sure, he is a fungible, unspectacular reliever, if they can get a good return, move him.
Looking at Nova’s splits vs the Rays and Angels, albeit a fairly small sample, I’d rather have Nova set up as #3 instead of Garcia.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/...../ivan-nova
•We known CC Sabathia and Kuroda will start the first two games of the season, but Girardi said today that the rest of the rotation will be decided within “three or four days.” I’m putting my money on Nova, Michael Pineda, and Phil Hughes following Sabathia and Kuroda, in that order. [Erik Boland]
MTU,
Yea…I can see why we didn’t….not that he’s not good but he looked toast in the 2nd half and the Yanks still have too many starters……but Boston? Can’t see why they weren’t interested…..maybe Bartolo wasn’t interested in them….
I don’t think the Yanks will send Pineda to AAA….they’ll be afraid of the PR after trading Montero for him…..and really he’s probably still one of their 5 best even with the velo down……I just think its an acceptable option…..I don’t really think Nova to AAA is because like Randy I think it sends a bad message….and I really don’t think more minor league time would help him that much……he needs to pitch in the big leagues
“I don’t see how showing up to camp a few pounds overweight = coming to camp out of shape.”
if he’s got 15-20 pounds of fat, it also likely means his arm isn’t going to be in shape either.
his lack of fastball is probably a direct result of just not having worked hard enough early enough.
it’s kind of a big deal to be traded to the yankees.
it would have been nice if pineda had taken it seriously.
i think he’s so talented he may have been coasting on that talent.
we’ll see as time goes on.
right now, nothing about pineda tells me he’s a hard worker. at the same time , i don’t know he isn’t if given the right coaching.
MTU-
Pineda has pitched better than Nova, who has the worst ST record, followed by CC so far in ST. I don’t think any will be sent to AAA. Someone is going to the pen, and my guess it’s Garcia, unless they trade him to the A’s for Colon.
Blake-
So you are pretty firmly of the opinion that it is Garcia to the pen.
We’ll see.
I am not as convinced.
Article about Hal’s hotel business involvement gives a glimpse at his business management/ownership style
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....hare_tweet
The reason to send Pineda down would be arm strength, not ST results. If they think he can just flip the velo switch, keep him in NY, if not, I would be concerned that the pressure of NY might make him overthrow.
are you saying what you think the yankees will do or what you think should be done?
———————————–
The former.
And I’m with blake – I don’t know that Pineda has been only our 6th best starter this spring. According to Randy’s WHIP chart, isn’t it CC lol?
“Pineda has pitched better than Nova, who has the worst ST record,”
that’s debatable.
nova has a much better whip.
Randy-
You’re making too many assumptions about Pineda. Obesity had nothing to do with Boomer’s rubber arm. CC would be considered Obese on the BMI charts.
Randy
Isn’t it also possible that Pineda needed more recovery time after pitching more innings last season than he had previously? I don’t know anything about Pineda’s make up or attitude, and I haven’t read anything that says he has a poor work ethic. Since he is now ours, I would rather give him the benefit of the doubt.
How many regular players come into camp a bit overweight? I have no idea, but I would guess that part of ST is getting back into shape.
i also think spring training stats should only be one factor in the decision.
i think what a pitcher did last year for a whole year should be weighted more.
Nova’s ERA so far is double that of Pineda, so which one is more likely so far to escape trouble?
You’re making too many assumptions about Pineda. Obesity had nothing to do with Boomer’s rubber arm. CC would be considered Obese on the BMI charts.
-
The issue is change in body mass, not weight in and of itself.
Yankee Trader March 29th, 2012 at 9:09 am
Blake-
I’m not saying the Yankees should do this, but they could bring Rapada and Cabral north and send Wade down to regain his form, and let the two lefties pitch thru the lefties in Tampa and Baltimore like Joyce, Scott, Brignac, Pena, Fuld, Markakis, and then make a decision as to which to keep.
—————————
This is the route I would go – or I would leave the fifth starter in EST since he won’t be needed the first time or two through the rotation.
I don’t see any way the Yankees can keep both in the system without having them both on the 25. Even if Cabral did have to pass through waivers there’s virtually no chance of a young lefty like that not getting claimed and while the Yankees could ask Repada to hold off on opting out I don’t know why he would – he could opt out and the next day there would be twenty teams lining up to offer him a spot in their bullpens.
The other option is a bit more outside the box. Keep both Cabral and Repada and then deal Boone Logan. He’s more established so there’s a chance he brings back more in trade, saves the team a little money since I believe his salary would be what Repada and Cabral would make combined – and Boone has had periods of severe ineffectiveness.
Gotta go. Late for a very important date:
Predictions as of today:
Garcia to the pen Pineda #5 goes 2-0 in starts vs Orioles and Twins
Maxwell and possibly Cabral traded to NL
Rapada goes north with Yankees
“You’re making too many assumptions about Pineda”
that’s your opinion.
my opinion when the trade was made was that pineda was not a good fit considering yankee options.
my assumptions back then are holding up pretty well.
if pineda came into camp in shape and had a normal fastball there’d be little discussion about him, but that’s not who pineda is , is it?
“So you are pretty firmly of the opinion that it is Garcia to the pen.”
I think that’s what’ll happen….
“i think what a pitcher did last year for a whole year should be weighted more.”
Well that makes it more simple, doesn’t it? Hughes to AAA.
Nova, Garcia, and Pineda all had much better seasons.
Just like in the movie “Crimson Tide”.
The Yankees do a “crazy Ivan” and send Nova to AAA ?
I hope not. I sincerely hope not.
_________________________
MTU, no shame is confusing two awesome-submarine-movies-both-of-which-I-get-sucked-into-any-time-either-is-on-cable, but that’s “Hunt for Red October”, not “Crimson Tide”.
Seaman Jones: Conn, sonar! Crazy Ivan!
Capt. Bart Mancuso: All stop! Quick quiet!
[the ships engines are shut down completely]
Beaumont: What’s goin’ on?
Seaman Jones: Russian captains sometime turn suddenly to see if anyone’s behind them. We call it “Crazy Ivan.” The only thing you can do is go dead. Shut everything down and make like a hole in the water.
Beaumont: So what’s the catch?
Seaman Jones: The catch is, a boat this big doesn’t exactly stop on a dime… and if we’re too close, we’ll drift right into the back of him.
YT-
That’s OK with me.
I don’t put much stock in ST as a predictor of future performance.
This is the route I would go – or I would leave the fifth starter in EST since he won’t be needed the first time or two through the rotation.
——–
The Yankees start the season with 7 games before an off day.
Sorry stuckey.
My mistake. I’m old.
Correction. 6 games before an off day
“Nova’s ERA so far is double that of Pineda, so which one is more likely so far to escape trouble?”
escape trouble from what?
you’re going to make a decision based on 15 getting in shape innings ?
it’s absurd to get rigid about making decisions based on spring training era. it’s such a small sample.
pineda himself was mixing in a lot of learning purpose change ups.
the decision should be based on the big picture in which spring training is one part .
Nova’s ERA is scewed by a couple of bad innings…really just a couple of bad pitches…..his stuff looks really good this spring to me…..its just location and sharpness that he’s lacked at times……and isn’t that what ST is for? To get yourself tuned up?
If I thought Pineda coukd handle the demotion mentally then Id strongly consider sending him down for a month to gain the extra service time…..to allow him to build arm strength in a low stress controlled environment…..to allow him to work on his CU…..and also to allow Freddy to start so he could possibly build more trade value……
my opinion when the trade was made was that pineda was not a good fit considering yankee options.
my assumptions back then are holding up pretty well.
____________________
No, you’re displaying confirmation bias. You’ve acknowledged when the trade was made, you knew little about Pineda and had actually seen ever less.
Your initial push to find something wrong with him was his change-up, which produced a AAA proposal which you’ve now admittedly abandoned.
In need of a new reason support your assumption, you’ve come up with his weight.
LGY March 29th, 2012 at 9:47 am
This is the route I would go – or I would leave the fifth starter in EST since he won’t be needed the first time or two through the rotation.
——–
The Yankees start the season with 7 games before an off day.
—————-
My bad.
Then I would see what I can get for Logan and take both Repada and Cabral. I think of the three Cabral has the most upside and Repada is the best pure LOOGY
Is it correct that Mitchell is starting today? Is Nova throwing somewhere in a minor league game?
Despite my weird hatred for Andruw Jones I think Boone Logan is actually my least favorite player on this team..
you’re going to make a decision based on 15 getting in shape innings ?
________________________
You want the decision to be based on Pineda not being in shape.
Ironic much?
“Well that makes it more simple, doesn’t it? Hughes to AAA.”
you might need another cup of coffee this morning.
the operative phrase is ” weighted more”.
that doesn’t mean only go by last year’s performance either.
i juts think 160-200 regular season innings should be weighted more than 10-20 spring training innings.
is that really debatable?
Shame Spencer March 29th, 2012 at 9:53 am
Despite my weird hatred for Andruw Jones I think Boone Logan is actually my least favorite player on this team..
—————————–
Is it because his name is backwards – where the first name sounds more like a last name and the last name sounds more like a first name – because that kinda bugs me too.
“Ironic much?”
hey lionel, how’s the choo choo going?
A pure LOOGY is somewhat of a waste of roster spot…..given the choice Id much rather have someone that can get a righty out as well…….its just much more valuable if you have a guy that can get Agon out…..then get youkalis out…..then pitch to Ortiz without making 50 pitching changes……actually id rather just have Robertson pitch to all three anyway….
My least favorite players are the ones that have dumb approaches at the plate without the Cano-like talent to compensate.
randy
cashman might might want to take a grocery list to the store next time and buy just what he needs instead of just grabbing things off the shelf because he’s hungry.
————————————————————————————
He was putting something in the pantry in case he got snow bound and couldn’t get to the staroe.
:
staroe–store
blake March 29th, 2012 at 9:55 am
A pure LOOGY is somewhat of a waste of roster spot…..given the choice Id much rather have someone that can get a righty out as well…….its just much more valuable if you have a guy that can get Agon out…..then get youkalis out…..then pitch to Ortiz without making 50 pitching changes……actually id rather just have Robertson pitch to all three anyway….
————-
Probably true too.
eh, just put out offers on all three of them and see which one nets you the greatest return.
I fully subscribe to the theory that the more relievers you use the more likely it is that one of then will suck that day.
A pure LOOGY is somewhat of a waste of roster spot…..given the choice Id much rather have someone that can get a righty out as well…….its just much more valuable if you have a guy that can get Agon out…..then get youkalis out…..then pitch to Ortiz without making 50 pitching changes……actually id rather just have Robertson pitch to all three anyway….
__________________________
Except that’s rarely going to happen.
Yankees have Soriano and Robertson backing up Mo. The plan was Chamberlain down the line, and maybe it still will be in September-October.
So the question becomes, in what inning do you WANT a lefty to face Youklis, as opposed to So or Ro or Mo?
The only time a LOOGY is sniffing the 7th or 8th anyway, is maybe when a lefty leads off the inning.
blake
The RS had already had a turn with Colon maybe 3 years ago and it didn’t end well.
i juts think 160-200 regular season innings should be weighted more than 10-20 spring training innings.
is that really debatable?
__________________________
If it is not, then Pineda beats out Hughes.
i juts think 160-200 regular season innings should be weighted more than 10-20 spring training innings.
is that really debatable?
——————————-
No, we agree completely… but based just on that logic you’re looking at Hughes to AAA. Garcia, Nova, and Pineda all gave closer to 140+ innings last year compared to Hughes’ 74.
“The RS had already had a turn with Colon maybe 3 years ago and it didn’t end well.”
True….but I think he showed last year that he’s better now than he was then.
Stuckey,
That’s pretty much what Im saying……I don’t think a straight LOOGY is that important to the Yanks……I guess Im saying Id probably lean Cabral over Rapada
Is it because his name is backwards – where the first name sounds more like a last name and the last name sounds more like a first name – because that kinda bugs me too.
——————–
Yes. Absolutely.
Josh Norris @jnorris427
DePaula will be throwing in a sim game later here. I’m going to take a wild guess that y’all just might want footage Josh Norris
He tweeted he will also have video of Campos. So, we should have footage of both at some point today.
Soriano throwing for Trenton, and your boy Heyer, GB.
According to the NY Post, sounds like Freddy will be in the rotation. Based on arm strength and that he is still rounding into shape, Pineda makes the most sense to send to AAA. Will Yanks do that though? Sending Nova down makes no sense at all.
Montero broke up Colon’s no-hitter in 5th, hitting an outside pitch opposite. Colon picked up right where he left off in the first half of 2011.
?
blake
I think there was some bad blood between them at the end of the season so I think the RS wouldn’t revisit it for that reason.
Freddy Garcia being annointed into the Yankee Rotation is 2 things in motion. (1) I believe the guy was pretty much promised he would get a spot in the rotation when he re-signed with the Yanks. (2) The Yanks are attempting to maintain or increase Freddy’s trade value, while Pettite rounds into shape. Once Pettite is ready to join the Yankee rotation, if the situation remains the same, (everyone healthy, too many SP’s for 5 slots), Freddy gets dealt. The extra wild card helps the Yanks here, as all kinds of teams will be looking for SP’s, even if merely too eat innings. The extra wild card is also gonna rekindle demand for rent-a-players. Fringe but frugal playoff contenders are gonna be on the hunt for rent-a-players like Garcia.
I am watching mlb network replay; great shots of Japan also make it worth watching beyond the baseball factor.
Based on arm strength and that he is still rounding into shape, Pineda makes the most sense to send to AAA. Will Yanks do that though?
_______________________________
I’d like to hear the perspective from a strong critic of the trade that brought him here.
Would YOU advocate Pineda starting the year in AAA? Would decision do you think would represent the best judgment on the NYY’s part?
“Banuelos looked sharp the whole day, keeping his fastball low and hitting the corners, while mixing in a changeup and doing whatever he wanted with his curveball which drew rave reviews from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees pitching coach Scott Aldred.
“He threw his curveball today, probably as well as I’ve seen him throw it,” Aldred said. “He threw the ball real well, especially the first three innings. He didn’t miss any spots with his fastball. Changeup was there, curveball had good bite.”
One of those curveballs struck out Swisher swinging in his second plate appearance against the 21-year-old lefty.
“It was a good one,” a smiling Banuelos said after the game.
Banuelos also said he broke out a cutter he and Aldred have been working on, and was pleased with the results.
“It looks good,” he said. “It’s hard, good movement. If I get it a little more, then I can make adjustments, get better.”
Aldred called the pitch a slider or, “a shorter breaking ball.” He said Banuelos worked on the pitch for about a month at the end of last season, then hadn’t thrown it all this spring until last week. Aldred said the pitch could get to a point where it becomes an option on days that Banuelos doesn’t have his curveball working for him.”
http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/yankees/
My criticism of the trade has nothing to do with my evaluation of Pineda. I don’t view him being sent down as a negative. And I already said I would advocate his starting in AAA above and gave my reason why: arm strength and pitching shape, assuming the Yankees agree with that evaluation.
The games currently being played in Japan are like watching back-in-the-day baseball outta the Astro Dome. That sick man-made lighting makes you lethargic, and the phony infield with the cutouts around the bases looks like something from a video game. This aint the Baseball my Dad introduced me to.
You have the love the steps Manny is taking in his development. Can’t wait to see him in the bigs whether it’s a September call up or next yr.
Manny B!
“The games currently being played in Japan are like watching back-in-the-day baseball outta the Astro Dome.”
Or like watching a game at Tropicana.
I asked Josh Norris if he can post video on Greg Bird, but he said he is injured and not active right now. Didn’t say what the injury is
Yep, love that Manny’s been working on the cutter. Supposedly, so is DJ. Maybe we will see it today in his outing.
I knew you’d like the Manny updates, blake.
“I knew you’d like the Manny updates, blake.”
Yes…any Banuelos updates are welcomed
Where is Warren and when is he pitching? Same for Phelps.
I like the idea of bringing both lefties out of camp for the start of the season, and sending a righty down who has options left.
I like the idea of Garcia in the bullpen, giving all three high upside young pitchers a shot first. A good righty starter like Garcia (or whomever) can go the bullpen, allowing both lefties to make the team out of camp.
Part of managing is managing the 40-man roster over the whole season. You know guys will get hurt, you know there are guys who will slump, and you know there are guys you expect to bring up later on. A good righty (Garcia) in the ‘pen lets you keep both lefty options in place & see what you need towards the end of April or beginning of May.
Invariably, there will be at least one pitcher in the rotation who’s either injured, aching or just struggling. Depending on who that is and when it happens, you see what you have & decide what to do whenever Pettitte’s ready. Move Garcia or Pettitte into the rotation? Nobody can really say right now. That’ll also depend on how well Pettitte may (or may not) be in May. Having the options available for when there’s a sore arm in the rotation is good. That’s when you make the call. When someone gets hurt & Garcia begins to start, you bring up the right you send down out of spring training.
Yankee Trader March 29th, 2012 at 9:03 am e
Chad-
Good morning. At first I thought that Cabral would have to be offered back to the Red Sox. Since he is a 2nd time Rule 5, one of the posters mentioned that he goes thru waivers and the natural order AL 1st, NL 2nd. Is that correct?
—
That’s true of any Rule 5 pick. The difference for a second-time guy is that if he clears waivers, he can refuse to return to his original team. In other words, if the Yankees don’t carry Cabral, he’ll immediately go on waivers for any team to claim — and if they claim him, the same Rule 5 rules apply — but if he clears and becomes a Red Sox player again, he can opt for free agency instead.
That’s how the Phillies got Shane Victorino a few years ago. He was a second-time Rule 5 pick, didn’t make the team out of camp, cleared waivers, elected free agency, signed a minor league deal back with the Phillies and had a breakout season in Triple-A.
If we’re gonna carry 2 lefties, I go with Rapada. ( to be used only against lefty hitters )
I thought Wade pitched with mirrors last year. I question whether he has more value on the team than a number of others, including Cabral and Mitchell. I read Girardi says he will, however, go north. If they lose Cabral for Wade, I say that is stupid. Cabral has upside, while Wade does not.
I still can’t see Cabral slipping through waivers in the first place. Young LHP with upside? No chance.
Thanks Chad!
With love,
(1 of) Chad’s Girls.
Ron –
I agree with your guess on who’s in the rotation out of ST: CC, Kuroda, Hughes, Pineda, Nova (not ‘in order’ necessarily)
Of the 4 non-CC starters, if the 3 young guys have seasons as good as they potentially could then Kuroda could be the weak link, even if he has a decent year by his standards. He’s the most reliable and the only known entity of the group, but he has the lowest up side. I’d love to see all three young guys get off to great starts. One way of looking at Kuroda & Garcia is, they’re short term insurance policies in case those 3 don’t get off to good starts. The long term outlook starts to look really good if all 3 of them do.
Garcia (then Pettitte) looming has the weaker link replaced when they get hurt or struggle. Pettitte is an unknown. We all know what he did before 2011, we know he’s in good shape now, and we know his mindset & effort will be as good as anyone’s. The only thing we don’t know is what he can physically deliver after taking a year off. He could actually be better with a year’s rest on his arm. Or he could have lost something. We just don’t know either way yet … we’ll see in 2 months. I hope he can be as good as ever.
I don’t think they’ll drop Kuroda from the rotation unless he’s struggling after the all-star break and there are enough guys having good seasons to justify such a move.
The problem with Rapada is if he is brought in I expect right handed pinch hitters whenever possible. He has much more trouble with them than Cabral.
“The problem with Rapada is if he is brought in I expect right handed pinch hitters whenever possible. He has much more trouble with them than Cabral.”
Yup…you have to be pretty confident he can get out the good Lefty hitters….the ones that won’t come out for a pinch hitter.
- CURRENT MOST OVERRATED PLAYERS IN MLB -
(1) JOE “NO POWER” MAUER
(2) SHANE VICTORINO – Despite what you hear, he aint Kenny Lofton.
(3) DAVID WRIGHT – Now merely a NY Hype Creation.
(4) CHASE UTLEY – Wheels have Literally fallen off this wagon.
(5) TORI HUNTER – Still has that smile, but that’s about all.
Keep Cabral until you are pretty sure you can sneak him through waivers and send Rapada down. If Cabral can’t get lefties out you can still call up Rapada and if he’s going through a bad stretch you might be able to sneak Cabral through waivers and keep him.
Rapada is more of a known quantity righties hit .359/.474/.692 against him. He should never be allowed to pitch to a righty. Better to walk a righty than take your chances with Rapada. Hopefully Cabral can do a little better than that when opponents inevitably pinch hit with a righty against him.