Friday, March 17, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Well, Then, Stop Throwing Strikes! And Other Roster Notes
- Jeff Weaver says he isn't throwing breaking pitches, which is one reason he's got a 15.43 ERA in only 9.1 IP.
He said Derek Lowe, his Dodger teammate last season, has called to kid him about being right on track for the regular season. "Right now, it's more about feeling comfortable mechanically and physically," Weaver said.
"He's throwing strikes early in the count, and guys in spring training are hacking," according to Bud Black, but batting practice? - If Anderson can't hack the outfield -- stop me if you've heard this before -- Bill Stoneman says there won't be a trade, but here's an interesting pair of quotes:
"Our depth, as far as looking for guys to hit in the middle of the order, isn't there," Scioscia said.
Sounds like the GM and the manager aren't on the same page......
General Manager Bill Stoneman has said the Angels have sufficient depth to withstand the possible loss of Anderson and said Thursday he does not anticipate a trade.
- K-Rod is expected in camp today. Speaking of the Angels' closer, did anyone else notice the comments about him in Baseball Prospectus 2006?
Rodriguez's mechanics have eroded to the point that it's now a matter of when he will suffer a catastrophic arm injury, not if. When he's healthy, he's almost unhittable, but that health won't last much longer without an overhaul of his delivery. Rodriguez "snaps his forearm shut" when he throws his fastball, putting a ton of pressure on his elbow. So, counterintuitively, his slider actually hurts him less than the most natural pitch in baseball. By the end of the season, 80% of Rodriguez's pitches were sliders, because they caused him less stress. Unless the Angels intervene, he'll be lost.
This is the sort of comment that Stephen Smith of FutureAngels used to make before he took down his website. The problem with K-Rod has historically been his intransigence, a willful stubbornness that he exhibited when he refused to fly back with the rest of the team. Similarly, he dug in his heels to avoid learning new ways of pitching, even in the minors; it's going to kill him, and sooner rather than later.
Shovel 'N' Fill
Via Jon, Baseball America's Chris Kline is flitting from spring training camp to spring training camp like some sort of demented butterfly, and today he takes on the Dodgers. Useful quote:BA: So it looks like you're going to have a lot of talent this year in Triple-A. Are there any concerns that someone on the pitching staff could go through the same struggles Edwin Jackson went through in the Pacific Coast League after having so much early success?Not if he turns into a useful starter it isn't. This isn't -- just yet -- self-serving horse puckey, but it could very shortly go that way. You just don't turn starting pitching prospects into marginal relievers, especially not on those kinds of contracts.RS: You have to make your pitches and you have to be aggressive in that league. You're going to give up some home runs and sometimes the scores are going to be sometimes a little higher. But there are places to pitch in that league. You can't use it as an excuse. I don't know if that was the reason that explains Edwin Jackson. He was a converted guy who didn't have a lot of experience. And when you hit a bump in the road and there are high expectations, it's magnified. This kid's still a young kid and the story has yet to be written on him. We didn't trade him with the idea, 'Hey, he's a flop;' we got value for him and I think it was a good baseball trade.
: 3/17/2006 04:36:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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