bobbob1313 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I wanted Willis a LOOGY, not a long man. I thought that's why we signed Choate to a 2 year deal last off-season. Choate has only pitched one inning this spring and is coming off a torn ligament in his pitching elbow. No reason you can't have 2. Plus, Willis could be a terrific low-leverage pinch hitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I would entertain using him as a situational lefty, but I'm skeptical that he has the command to get lefties out in a pinch. He has good numbers against LHB, but it's far from a guarantee that he could succeed in that role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbob1313 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Randy Choate doesn't have great control. But since lefties find his pitches impossible to pick up, it doesn't much matter. That's how I think Willis would work as a situation lefty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I think it's silly to put Willis and Choate on the same plane. Willis doesn't just have a high walk problem; he has often risked being erratic as he's been passing from team to team. At times the hitter would perhaps be better off not even bringing a bat to the plate. I don't see him ever being realiable enough to enter a game with men on and striking out someone. There's a difference between getting lefties out over the course of a start and getting one out in a high pressure situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dom2613 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Juan C. Rodriguez â€� @JCRMarlinsbeat Reply Retweet Favorite · Open #Marlins RHP Jose Ceda will undergo Tommy John surgery on April 3. Retweeted by joe capozzi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbob1313 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I think it's silly to put Willis and Choate on the same plane. Willis doesn't just have a high walk problem; he has often risked being erratic as he's been passing from team to team. At times the hitter would perhaps be better off not even bringing a bat to the plate. I don't see him ever being realiable enough to enter a game with men on and striking out someone. There's a difference between getting lefties out over the course of a start and getting one out in a high pressure situation. I get that he is erratic. What I am saying is that, in his career, that has hardly mattered against left-handed batters, because they struggle so badly just to pick the ball up out of his hand. Which is why I bring up Choate. He doesn't have great stuff or control; what he has is a singular ability to befuddle left-handed batters. I think Willis has a similiar ability, and I think, at the very least, I'd be willing to take a chance on him as a second lefty in the pen to use in lower-leverage situations as the 7th arm in the pen. I'd certainly take a shot on the upside of that over Chad Gaudin's dependable mediocrity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erick Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Having two LOOGY's is a waste of time to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbob1313 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I mean, he's already on another roster, so this is a silly argument to have, but I am more worried about Choate's health than most right now. I'd have no problem carrying some insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I think it's silly to put Willis and Choate on the same plane. Willis doesn't just have a high walk problem; he has often risked being erratic as he's been passing from team to team. At times the hitter would perhaps be better off not even bringing a bat to the plate. I don't see him ever being realiable enough to enter a game with men on and striking out someone. There's a difference between getting lefties out over the course of a start and getting one out in a high pressure situation. I get that he is erratic. What I am saying is that, in his career, that has hardly mattered against left-handed batters, because they struggle so badly just to pick the ball up out of his hand. Which is why I bring up Choate. He doesn't have great stuff or control; what he has is a singular ability to befuddle left-handed batters. I think Willis has a similiar ability, and I think, at the very least, I'd be willing to take a chance on him as a second lefty in the pen to use in lower-leverage situations as the 7th arm in the pen. I'd certainly take a shot on the upside of that over Chad Gaudin's dependable mediocrity. I'm saying that I see an error in logic in so readily assuming that he can transition so readily into a situational relief role. Putting him in highly leveraged situations to face a small number of batters does not seem to be an attractive situtation for him. I think his first outing with the Orioles is basically a model of what you can expect from him in relief. He walked the first three batters with the first two being lefties. Most of success has come from situations where he can settle in, pitch multiple innings, and face a mix of LHB and RHB. I think it's not a small leap into a specialization role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Having two LOOGY's is a waste of time to me. I also think that a pure LOOGY is also a waste. It's just too taxing on the bullpen. Willis would probably still need about a third of his PAs to be against RHB, and that's not something I can stomach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Oh, and yeah, I'd rather give Willis a shot before Gaudin, but that's not really the point here. I'm not even opposed to giving Willis a minor league deal if the Orioles cut him. My point is that I think it's unlikely he amounts to anything useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanofthefish Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 What was the reason Ceda missed the whole year? I believe it was 2009, I saw him pitch against Atlanta in his last outing, he did really well in his first inning pitched, but labored a bit in his second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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