February 17, 200521 yr I'm scared because I think the pen is going to be a real liability for us. I just dont see Mota being as dominant as Benitez last year; Alfonseca failed his physical so 6th finger or not, he could be injured; and Jones, Mecir et al aren't exactly Gagne-like. I don't think our pen will resemble the '04 Cleveland pen but I'm not sold on its dependability. Am I the only one?
February 17, 200521 yr me too. I mean this pen has experience. Its just the question of can they finish the job or not.
February 17, 200521 yr Our pen is a question mark, but the answer won't come until the season progresses obviously.
February 17, 200521 yr Let's wait and see...It's only February. Alfonseca has improved a bit, and he's always been out of shape. Veterans are a good thing, guys. And we have some youth in the minors if we need a replacement.
February 17, 200521 yr It won't be a big liability. Sure we don't have great guys in the pen, but using each sparingly will only help them I think. None of them will have to worry about being over-used. Plus for our pen to cost us a playoff berth, almost every single relief pitcher is going to have to blow it. With so many solid guys to choose from it's just really hard to think we won't have some guys that have great seasons in the pen next year. We are in a much better position than we were in at the start of last season with regard to the pen.
February 17, 200521 yr I actually think we are in pretty decent shape with respect to our bullpen. Our biggest question mark is Mota being able to close, but we have other guys that can be adequate if he can't. We have quite a few guys that are solid ML relievers, which is a lot different from last year. If Spooney is healthy, our pen looks to be pretty good IMO. I am most worried about what happens if a couple of our starters are injured at the same time. We don't have much to choose from as emergency starters go.
February 17, 200521 yr Author Sure we don't have great guys in the pen, but using each sparingly will only help them I think. None of them will have to worry about being over-used. 688450[/snapback] Jack overworked Benitez, which lead to his arm problems at the end of the season.
February 17, 200521 yr Yea.. I'm more worried about starting pitching depth than the bullpen.. Riedling has some starting experience so that could be an asset.. and Frank Castillo could be alright as an emergency starter. I really wish we could have just signed someone like Hideo Nomo to a minor league contract.
February 17, 200521 yr Yea.. I'm more worried about starting pitching depth than the bullpen.. Riedling has some starting experience so that could be an asset.. and Frank Castillo could be alright as an emergency starter. I really wish we could have just signed someone like Hideo Nomo to a minor league contract. 688506[/snapback] Don't lose any sleep over Nomo...his numbers last season were atrocious. Castillo will be as good or better than Hideous Nomo. :thumbup
February 17, 200521 yr Yea but he wasn't exactly healthy on the year... only made 18 starts. The two years before had ERA's of 3.39 and 3.09. They said he was done after the 1999 season too.. :whistle I mean, it couldn't of hurt to sign him to a minor league contract.
February 17, 200521 yr It may not be the best in MLB but it's heads and shoulders above last year's pen once Fox went down and we started playing musical chairs.
February 17, 200521 yr its a pretty good pen :whistle 688561[/snapback] :lol :lol :lol :lol nice joke. where u serious :mischief2
February 17, 200521 yr its a pretty good pen :whistle 688561[/snapback] :lol :lol :lol :lol nice joke. where u serious :mischief2 688567[/snapback] WAY BETTER THAN THE METS AND LASTS YEARS :mad
February 17, 200521 yr Yea.. I'm more worried about starting pitching depth than the bullpen.. Riedling has some starting experience so that could be an asset.. and Frank Castillo could be alright as an emergency starter. I really wish we could have just signed someone like Hideo Nomo to a minor league contract i agree, i am more concerned about Willis and Valdez as starters than the bullpen
February 17, 200521 yr i am not worry about willis,he just had his sophomore year and the bullpen is better than last year
February 17, 200521 yr A bullpen is only as good as its manager. There's just too many variables for talent to shine through. I think this bullpen is better suited for McKeon's late hook. The main question is their durability and endurance. There's not many two or three-inning pitchers in this cast to deal with Willis, Leiter, Valdez's (and the two injury-prone brats) short outings. I worry that they may lose their effectiveness late in the year.
February 17, 200521 yr Yea.. I'm more worried about starting pitching depth than the bullpen.. Riedling has some starting experience so that could be an asset.. and Frank Castillo could be alright as an emergency starter. I really wish we could have just signed someone like Hideo Nomo to a minor league contract i agree, i am more concerned about Willis and Valdez as starters than the bullpen 688575[/snapback] Don't worry about old Exxon. It may not be pretty but he gets the job done. For a fifth starter he's pretty solid. Nomo is over the hill, and since the Devil Rays were the only ones willing to sing him that's a pretty telling sign. Why are people worried about Mota closing? He has the stuff, and since he won't be used as much he will be fresh. That's the only reason why he struggled near the end, he ran out of gas.
February 17, 200521 yr no need to show fear. only show fear of fear itself. the marlins will pull through. theyll find a way. besides, if there is a problem, itll be fixed by the middle of the season if theyre smart
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