tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post2362152192960179520..comments2024-01-10T07:00:57.766-05:00Comments on It is about the money, stupid: Wallace: RP more important than SPJason @ IIATMShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11675184282951841175noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-71261479844239299392009-04-03T10:01:00.000-04:002009-04-03T10:01:00.000-04:00I think what's happening here is we need to separa...I think what's happening here is we need to separate the importance of a good bullpen as it relates to team's success from the the starter vs reliever importance comparison. That's not quite clear so let me try to explain it a different way. Look at the 2008 Mets. The are Exhibit A for how a bad bullpen can destroy a team's season. If you put Joba on that team as a starter, they probably still don't make the playoffs. You put him in the bullpen, and maybe they do. But that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH the decision to give Joba the chance to be a starter. They are completely separate arguments.<BR/><BR/>I know I'm not really hitting the point home (and I'm probably just stating the obvious) but I hope the subtle difference between the two is clear to someone who can put it into words better than I.<BR/><BR/>I'll just say this - if Brian Bruney could start, he would. But he can't, so he pitches 1 or 2 innings each time he goes out there and that's his job. Joba *CAN* start and that what he should do until he can't.dinologic (Dean D)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14412884655658158190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-356221477500715032009-04-02T23:45:00.000-04:002009-04-02T23:45:00.000-04:00If Joba had dominated and stayed healthy, there wo...If Joba had dominated and stayed healthy, there wouldn't have been a debate, period, this off-season. It would have been assumed that everything was going according to plan for him to stick in the rotation. His injury is the reason we're still arguing over this.tHeMARksMiThhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445834941960575715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-6389869630152208652009-04-02T17:25:00.000-04:002009-04-02T17:25:00.000-04:00Anonymous,You're also assuming that Wallace's argu...Anonymous,<BR/>You're also assuming that Wallace's argument would be different if Joba hadn't gotten injured last summer. I have a strange feeling that it wouldn't given that most of his argument is based on the value of Joba as a reliever.Scott Hamhttp://www.thebronxview.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-11226863400304386672009-04-02T16:25:00.000-04:002009-04-02T16:25:00.000-04:00George King just wrote similar insanity that I jus...George King just wrote similar insanity that I just commented on today: http://riverascutter.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/george-kings-passion/<BR/><BR/>But this might even be worse. He disproves his own argument in that section you quoted - starters throw 6IP on average and 7 or 8 on good days. Relievers do not throw close to that many innings in 5 days unless they're Scott Proctor and you want their arm to come off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-8739377235143373352009-04-02T15:12:00.000-04:002009-04-02T15:12:00.000-04:00And like that, my bubble has been burst. Well pla...And like that, my bubble has been burst. Well played, my anonymous friend.The Common Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994070642805307798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-43622688779225736112009-04-02T14:26:00.000-04:002009-04-02T14:26:00.000-04:00I apologize for using Mike Hampton as an example o...I apologize for using Mike Hampton as an example of a pitcher who has spent an inordinate amount of time on the disabled list. I allowed his tenure with the Atlanta Braves to distort my perception of what, as you so skillfully point out, has been a career that Cy Young could envy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-32856059191375878292009-04-02T13:22:00.000-04:002009-04-02T13:22:00.000-04:00Whoa there, anonymous. Let's stop throwing dirt o...Whoa there, anonymous. Let's stop throwing dirt over the career of Mike Hampton, who came up as a 20 year old and managed to put together five straight years of 200+ innings, then followed it up with seasons where he started 30, 31, and 29 games. <I>That's</I> when we started to see the epic cascade of injury after injury. Hampton was a definite workhorse before the fail that was his move to Colorado and the fallout.The Common Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994070642805307798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-10542742586804539762009-04-02T12:24:00.000-04:002009-04-02T12:24:00.000-04:00Before everyone throws dirt on Wallace Matthews:Of...Before everyone throws dirt on Wallace Matthews:<BR/><BR/>Of course, Joba would be much more valuable as a starter than as a set up guy, or even a lights-out closer. It's not a question of Joba taking the most valuable role, it's a question of how much he can pitch without blowing up.<BR/><BR/> Joba's career at Nebraska was interrupted numerous times with arm and shoulder problems. With the new biometric technology perhaps he can avoid repeating the motions that led to those problems. Certainly the Yankees would have a pretty good idea. <BR/><BR/>But if I were a betting man, I'd wager Joba turns out not to be a workhorse like C.C., but more of an A. J. Burnett or Mike Hampton. Lots of time in the shop.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-42653309817476993182009-04-02T11:42:00.000-04:002009-04-02T11:42:00.000-04:00Amen, indeed. As much as I don't want to see newsp...Amen, indeed. As much as I don't want to see newspapers completely go away, I object a little less with each Wallace Matthews article I read.Scott Hamhttp://www.thebronxview.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-38984125899121277752009-04-02T11:36:00.000-04:002009-04-02T11:36:00.000-04:00TCM,I just read it and had the exact same reaction...TCM,<BR/><BR/>I just read it and had the exact same reaction. Most teams try to keep you at 2-3 games a week. Maybe he meant 5 IP a week? That would still be too much I would think.tHeMARksMiThhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16445834941960575715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-26683762592943935102009-04-02T11:08:00.000-04:002009-04-02T11:08:00.000-04:00My favorite part of the article is when Matthews o...My favorite part of the article is when Matthews opines, "Greater baseball minds than mine have analyzed this situation at great length and determined that Joba for the first six innings every five days is better than Joba out of the bullpen five times a week." Five times a week? FIVE TIMES A WEEK? FIVE...TIMES...A...WEEK???<BR/><BR/>You know, because the best way to keep a young, hard-throwing pitcher with a history of arm trouble out on the mound FIVE DAYS A WEEK. Teams usually play six game a week, so that would put Joba on track to appear in somewhere close to 135 games. Good idea, Wallace. As a Twins fan, I heartily endorse your plan.<BR/><BR/>However, if by some miracle Joba was able to pitch 135 games with little to no additional risk to his long-term health, I'd say this would be an incredibly efficient use of his talents. Again, I encourage the Yankees to try it.The Common Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994070642805307798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-51286456634978382662009-04-02T10:29:00.000-04:002009-04-02T10:29:00.000-04:00I just took a quick look at the numbers, and a goo...I just took a quick look at the numbers, and a good starting pitcher throws 150-200 innings a year. A good reliever throws about 70. I dunno about you, but I'd much rather put my best pitchers in the position that has them throwing two to three times as many innings. Jaba was INJURED last year and he still threw 100 innings, probably 30 or 40 innings more than he would in an entire season of setting up.JTRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09056595765101960162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-12838450070568011702009-04-02T09:50:00.000-04:002009-04-02T09:50:00.000-04:00Wallace Matthews 10:44 PM EDT, March 31, 2009Wallace Matthews <BR/>10:44 PM EDT, March 31, 2009Jason @ IIATMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11675184282951841175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9106257093107729484.post-92005729008593488222009-04-02T09:48:00.000-04:002009-04-02T09:48:00.000-04:00Oh dear Lord, when was this published? I thought ...Oh dear Lord, when was this published? I thought we were past this nonsense. I can't believe this guy's a professional sports writer.<BR/><BR/>Pete Abe said it best (I'm paraphrasing), "Wow, Albert Pujouls sure would make a great pinch hitter, wouldn't he? Let's do that!"Ditmars1929noreply@blogger.com