The Rangers have placed pitcher Vicente Padilla on the disabled list and recalled Wes Littleton from Triple A Oklahoma.... Padilla will likely pitch the third game after the All-Star break...
Hey last nights game was a good game, but it just highlights the fact that our starting pitching is lacking. Which leads to this question, how about Nippert as a starter? This is what frustrates the h e l l out of me about the Rangers. We acquired Nippert as a reliever he stunk it up was sent to the minors and if my memory serves me correctly he was being used as a starter in AAA. Well we recall him, and where does he go?????? The bullpen, thats where. Well he pitches lights out on Monday out of the bullpen. He was spent for the whole week, so why not call him up and use him as a starter? Just a thought. The bullpen is pitching lights out, but if we can get some consistency out of Hurley and Harrison then we may do something this year. At this point if i could get a good veteran starter for Salty and Cat i do that deal right now. Ram is a better catcher, can and will play first base and i believe that Laird has been missed. So do it and no one will say anything. God only knows we need one more dependable starting pitcher. Letting Ponson go is really hurting right now......
Add Blalock to that list, if we can get something for him. Washington is saying that Blalock is going back into the lineup when he returns. That is ok with me if he goes back to thirdbase. I have a problem if they put him at first and displace Davis. That kid is playing good defense is hitting homeruns and is going to go through some struggles as he adjusts. He has done nothing to disprove the fact that he was the # 1 position prospect. Let Blalock play third hit a few dingers and trade him. I do not believe that we are going to pickup his option, (why would we?) He is going to have to establish that he is healthy so we can get something for him. Bye flipper it was nice knowing ye. I am sure the valet parkers will miss you????
The vast majority of Nippert’s minor league action has been as a starter. The vast majority of his time in the majors has been as a reliever, not only with Texas, but with Arizona. Probably because you look at him, and you see a guy who is big and durable and has 2 really good pitches (fastball and a big curve) and you want to develop him as a starter, so he starts games in the minors to work on the things that would allow him to start at the big league level (developing his other pitches and refining his command) but when he gets back to the majors, he’s inconsistent with his control and his 3rd and 4th pitches and that’s the main reason he hasn’t had success at the that level. The pitches that he gets minor leaguers to swing and miss at will be laid off of by major league hitter so he throws too many balls to be a starter (as evidenced by his 45 career walks in under 86 innings.) If you use him as a reliever and he labors through 2 innings, that’s fine, but start him with that same control and he’ll go out there and throw 80 pitches in 4 innings and then what? You bring in Nippert, the long man? You can’t. You just started him and got your 4 innings out of him.
Go up there against major leaguers with 2 pitches and they’ll eat you alive the second time through the lineup usually, but if you can flash 4 pitches it makes that fastball and curve that much better and makes it much harder on the hitter. In his last outing he was really good, mostly due to his being able to use his slider and change, so you get 7 innings on 107 pitches. That’s great, but in his previous outing he needed 68 pitches just to get through 2 1/3 innings. His career ERA over 7 isn’t a resounding testimonial for putting him in the rotation based on a single good outing as a reliever.
If he refines his other pitches he could be a good big leaguer starter, but with only 2 usable pitches he’s more likely to find success out of the bullpen. If you have better options, and we should after the all-star break, then it makes more sense to have him work on his consistency either out of the major league bullpen or in rotation at AAA. He may never find that consistency. AAA is littered with these "teaser" types, but he’s a hard guy to give up on because of the things that he does do well.
"At this point if i could get a good veteran starter for Salty and Cat i do that deal right now." - Why? It's that kind of "win now" mentality that's kept this team bogged down in mediocrity for the past decade. If they're going to move a talent like Saltalamacchia it needs to be for a starter who is entering their prime and will be here another 3 years, not some short term fix. When Saltalamcchia, Chris Davis, Max Ramirez, German Duran, Eric Hurley, Warner Madrigal, and Matt Harrison begin entering the prime years of their careers, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Brandon Boggs, Scott Feldman, CJ Wilson, and David Murphy should be at their peak and hopefully, Elvis Andrus, Julio Borbon, Tommy Hunter, and Neftali Feliz will have arrived. That's when you deal some of that young talent currently filling the low-minor league rosters, who by then will be knocking on the door to the major leagues, to bring in a veteran to get you over the hump. When all (some) of those above mentioned things happen, an Eric Bedard or an AJ Burnett will be long gone.
D'god, hefe, I agree with both of you. A "good,veteren starter" for Salty, Cat and Blalock? Yes please! But where will you find a GM willing to trade for a cast-off, an injury waiting to happen, and a prospect? Not even in the fantasy leagues! And hefe, you are of course quite right about service time. As Jamie and TR have both said ,it's huge. Ever since slavery was abolished (baseball slavery, that is) and free agency introduced, trading has become a whole new ballgame. This simple fact is ignored by many of the posters here, and by nearly all of the folk who write to TR's mail-bag. (Lord knows how he manages a polite answer to some of those questions.)
Hey last nights game was a good game, but it just highlights the fact that our starting pitching is lacking. Which leads to this question, how about Nippert as a starter? This is what frustrates the h e l l out of me about the Rangers. We acquired Nippert as a reliever he stunk it up was sent to the minors and if my memory serves me correctly he was being used as a starter in AAA. Well we recall him, and where does he go?????? The bullpen, thats where. Well he pitches lights out on Monday out of the bullpen. He was spent for the whole week, so why not call him up and use him as a starter? Just a thought. The bullpen is pitching lights out, but if we can get some consistency out of Hurley and Harrison then we may do something this year. At this point if i could get a good veteran starter for Salty and Cat i do that deal right now. Ram is a better catcher, can and will play first base and i believe that Laird has been missed. So do it and no one will say anything. God only knows we need one more dependable starting pitcher. Letting Ponson go is really hurting right now......
Report any abuse or spam
Add Blalock to that list, if we can get something for him. Washington is saying that Blalock is going back into the lineup when he returns. That is ok with me if he goes back to thirdbase. I have a problem if they put him at first and displace Davis. That kid is playing good defense is hitting homeruns and is going to go through some struggles as he adjusts. He has done nothing to disprove the fact that he was the # 1 position prospect. Let Blalock play third hit a few dingers and trade him. I do not believe that we are going to pickup his option, (why would we?) He is going to have to establish that he is healthy so we can get something for him. Bye flipper it was nice knowing ye. I am sure the valet parkers will miss you????
Report any abuse or spam
The vast majority of Nippert’s minor league action has been as a starter. The vast majority of his time in the majors has been as a reliever, not only with Texas, but with Arizona. Probably because you look at him, and you see a guy who is big and durable and has 2 really good pitches (fastball and a big curve) and you want to develop him as a starter, so he starts games in the minors to work on the things that would allow him to start at the big league level (developing his other pitches and refining his command) but when he gets back to the majors, he’s inconsistent with his control and his 3rd and 4th pitches and that’s the main reason he hasn’t had success at the that level. The pitches that he gets minor leaguers to swing and miss at will be laid off of by major league hitter so he throws too many balls to be a starter (as evidenced by his 45 career walks in under 86 innings.) If you use him as a reliever and he labors through 2 innings, that’s fine, but start him with that same control and he’ll go out there and throw 80 pitches in 4 innings and then what? You bring in Nippert, the long man? You can’t. You just started him and got your 4 innings out of him.
Go up there against major leaguers with 2 pitches and they’ll eat you alive the second time through the lineup usually, but if you can flash 4 pitches it makes that fastball and curve that much better and makes it much harder on the hitter. In his last outing he was really good, mostly due to his being able to use his slider and change, so you get 7 innings on 107 pitches. That’s great, but in his previous outing he needed 68 pitches just to get through 2 1/3 innings. His career ERA over 7 isn’t a resounding testimonial for putting him in the rotation based on a single good outing as a reliever.
If he refines his other pitches he could be a good big leaguer starter, but with only 2 usable pitches he’s more likely to find success out of the bullpen. If you have better options, and we should after the all-star break, then it makes more sense to have him work on his consistency either out of the major league bullpen or in rotation at AAA. He may never find that consistency. AAA is littered with these "teaser" types, but he’s a hard guy to give up on because of the things that he does do well.
Report any abuse or spam
"At this point if i could get a good veteran starter for Salty and Cat i do that deal right now." - Why? It's that kind of "win now" mentality that's kept this team bogged down in mediocrity for the past decade. If they're going to move a talent like Saltalamacchia it needs to be for a starter who is entering their prime and will be here another 3 years, not some short term fix. When Saltalamcchia, Chris Davis, Max Ramirez, German Duran, Eric Hurley, Warner Madrigal, and Matt Harrison begin entering the prime years of their careers, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Brandon Boggs, Scott Feldman, CJ Wilson, and David Murphy should be at their peak and hopefully, Elvis Andrus, Julio Borbon, Tommy Hunter, and Neftali Feliz will have arrived. That's when you deal some of that young talent currently filling the low-minor league rosters, who by then will be knocking on the door to the major leagues, to bring in a veteran to get you over the hump. When all (some) of those above mentioned things happen, an Eric Bedard or an AJ Burnett will be long gone.
Report any abuse or spam
D'god, hefe, I agree with both of you. A "good,veteren starter" for Salty, Cat and Blalock? Yes please! But where will you find a GM willing to trade for a cast-off, an injury waiting to happen, and a prospect? Not even in the fantasy leagues! And hefe, you are of course quite right about service time. As Jamie and TR have both said ,it's huge. Ever since slavery was abolished (baseball slavery, that is) and free agency introduced, trading has become a whole new ballgame. This simple fact is ignored by many of the posters here, and by nearly all of the folk who write to TR's mail-bag. (Lord knows how he manages a polite answer to some of those questions.)
Report any abuse or spam