CK is not the total answer to our BP issues but he’d go a long way towards fixing them. Viz and Minter are not reliable enough to close. Viz can’t go every day and Minter is still working things out. As far as shoring up the pen from there AA could take the same approach as last year.
GDT 4/16; On the Menu: CAJUN FRIED SNAKEMEAT.
- Thread starter Hulavol
- Start date
Hudson2
Well-known member
Newk has been given over a year this far and not much has changed with his control and given his age it probably never will. At least in the bullpen he could cut it loose with his fastball.
nothing has changed with newk one little bit since he's been in the majors. well, no good changes, anyway. not sure how much longer you can try him out as a starter.
Southcack77
Well-known member
He's had three April starts and one of them was good. And in one of the others he didn't give up a run in 4 innings pitched though he wasn't great.
Last season he produced a good half of baseball with two near no-hitters vs elite offenses.
His BB/9 dropped by a half walk last season.
I'm not crying about it, but he got a quick hook.
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bad 2nd half, worse spring, isn't striking anyone out, velo down.
his one "good" game he struck out two guys. the one game he didn't give up a run in...he was very bad, but lucky. his improvement in walk rate from 17 to 18 was also accompanied by a bigger decrease in K rate.
but most of all, there are simply better options at this point. i assume they'll let him start in the minors and see how he does.
When there are clearly available options on the FA market, it doesn't make much sense imo. CK, Bud Norris, and Ryan Madson all remain unsigned and each would likely be an improvement over several pitchers currently on our roster. I somewhat understand why we haven't signed CK, but Madson and Norris are both guys who could be big upgrades and should come pretty cheap. Really no reason they shouldn't already be donning a Braves uni.
Southcack77
Well-known member
Well, Norris has been dropped by one team and I think another backed out?
And Madson has been sitting there all offseason with no bites, so perhaps there are issues with both of them.
But sure, at this point taking a flyer could not hurt.
Southcack77
Well-known member
Like I said, I'm not crying about it. Just noting that it was a quick hook. But seems even more clear now the front office challenge about walks was directed at him.
Hudson2
Well-known member
This
You are correct in that we currently have better options, but I think it's fair to say Newk improved from 2017 to 2018. He's been bad so far in 2019. May be it's a mechanical error or injury related. Obviously he still has a lot to improve upon. I don't think a transition to RP right now is smart option given his inability to throw strikes anyways.
The Jays wanted to keep Norris as evidenced of them paying Norris a $100K retention bonus after telling him that he wouldn’t make the OD roster. I'm guessing an injury concern is what prompted the release. And the Nat's wanted him, but his timeline for return apparently didn't match up with what they needed right now.
But yes, the point is, there are solid options available that don't cost much, and have the potential to be pretty big additions. No reason we shouldn't be taking a flyer on them.
none of these guys help you right now.
there's probably a reason no one has signed Madson despite lots of teams having bad bullpens at the moment.
CK and Norris are weeks out. you don't even know how effective Norris can be. granted, the same could be said for the guys we're talking about moving there.
in what world are norris and madson "big upgrades" even in the best case scenario? Madson might be a big upgrade, but not one team wants him? come on.
Norris, and Madson especially, could probably more easily be just as bad as our current options, or worse, than be legitimate upgrades. certainly a much better chance of being worse than being "big additions."
Deester11
Well-known member
I disagree that it was a quick hook. If he were Teheran you'd be breaking out the whine glasses. The edict all summer was that the pitchers would be held accountable and can't keep walking people.
It's not a death warrant that Newk got sent down but it's clear. Throw strikes and pitch with some aggression. He clearly hasn't done that. Improved from previous versions is an ok thing, but he's got to see Dr. Llewellyn and get some oomph about himself.
Southcack77
Well-known member
Teheran 4.71 ERA 4.85 FIP 4.29 BB/9
Newcomb 4.38 ERA 4.28 FIP 5.84 BB/9
Just because you asked.
I think it's a quick hook. It doesn't bother me much.
UNCBlue012
Well-known member
I think the decision was based almost solely on walks. I think everyone, including the FO is sick of them. lol
UNCBlue012
Well-known member
[TW]1118535843545640960[/TW]
Lmao, EOF.
Lmao, EOF.
You don't even realize everyone is mocking you...
I'm not sure what's going to happen with Kimbrel, but adding Newk and Touki/Wilson to the BP, which is where they most likely fit long term anyways, will go a long ways towards improving that unit.
When the rotation is Folty, Gaus, Soroka, Julio and Fried in the next week or so, and Wright, Tomlin, and Wilson/Touki are still around for SP depth, it will be a good time to transition some of the non-elite young SPs to the BP where they ultimately belong.
If not for the rash of injuries it probably would have happened already. It needs to happen sooner rather than later.