Around The Majors 2019

Baseball is a game of adjustments. Batters are adjusting to overpowering stuff, so perhaps pitchers will adjust with control and movement.
 
nsacpi said:
The adjustment that might be happening is hitters are adjusting to the velocity and sitting fastball. Starters have more than a fastball. A lot of relievers don't.

I'm thinking hitters are now spending more time in the cage hitting against a machine set at 100 mph. That's what they are geared up for. The relievers may be responding by trying to throw more off-speed stuff but too many of them don't have an off-speed pitch they can throw for strikes.

It was nice to see Blevins throw those curves against Hosmer last night. And Tomlin before him throwing strikes and mixing pitches. I'm wondering if the pendulum swings back to those kinds of relievers.
Click to expand...

This is an implied argument for slotting Julion in the pen if/when someone like Toussaint appears ready to ascend.
 
jpx7 said:
This is an implied argument for slotting Julion in the pen if/when someone like Toussaint appears ready to ascend.
Click to expand...

Julion looks better to me this year. I'd keep him in rotation. Would consider Newk to the pen first, assuming he has figured something out in AAA.
 
CyYoung31 said:
[tw]1123231743434285056[/tw]
Click to expand...



Not sure whether this is a change of heart for Morosi or confirmation bias, but this is pretty much the issue that I hypothesized might be a problem with the AAA shuttle plan.

Relievers are notoriously erratic year to year and tend to flame out faster than starters. How can a team feel confident in it's ability to consistently identify the right 12 men for the staff, let alone finding another 2-3 to shuttle back and forth?

Easier said than done.
 
Southcack77 said:
Not sure whether this is a change of heart for Morosi or confirmation bias, but this is pretty much the issue that I hypothesized might be a problem with the AAA shuttle plan.

Relievers are notoriously erratic year to year and tend to flame out faster than starters. How can a team feel confident in it's ability to consistently identify the right 12 men for the staff, let alone finding another 2-3 to shuttle back and forth?

Easier said than done.
Click to expand...

Doesn't having a AAA shuttle mitigate that risk. You are looking for the right 12 men but maybe 2-3 of them are in AAA at the start of the season. Maybe Webb and Dayton turn out to be significant players for us this year.
 
nsacpi said:
Julion looks better to me this year. I'd keep him in rotation. Would consider Newk to the pen first, assuming he has figured something out in AAA.
Click to expand...


I don't really agree with that.

His FIP is slightly better, but that's really the only thing that really suggest improvement. Not being the luckiest pitcher in baseball any more sort of takes away the value of any modest improvement.

Also, it's pretty clear that the lion share of his best pitching is coming the first time through the order, which is a pretty strong argument that the pen might be his best role.

.....

If anything, Newcomb's numbers are a little bit better than Julio and Newcomb has the advantage of being cheap and under control. Given Newcomb has put up a half season of performance before and remains a young guy and is something that might if nothing else have trade value, I would be more inclined to give him more opportunities that a Teheran who makes no sense for the Braves future at his present price point.
 
nsacpi said:
Doesn't having a AAA shuttle mitigate that risk. You are looking for the right 12 men but maybe 2-3 of them are in AAA at the start of the season. Maybe Webb and Dayton turn out to be significant players for us this year.
Click to expand...

AAA shuttle is meant to convey the idea that you are churning 4-5 guys for maybe 2-3 bullpen spots. I'm not sure it's realistic to expect that you can find that many guys of equivalent ability who are better options than sticking with your starters more often than not.
 
AJ Pollock went to the IL and had an “exploratory” procedure last night on his elbow that has been injured a few times in his career.

Sounds like we “dodged” a bullet
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top