Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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You might have an easier time today picking the NCAA men's basketball Final Four than the exact composition of the Dodger bullpen. In any event, here's a look at the many relievers who still have a shot at making the Opening Day roster - but be forewarned, I sort of feel like I'm leading the cattle drive through the rain in City Slickers in trying to make a coherent evaluation.
Locks (3)
Eric Gagne, RHP: So far, so good. No physical complaints. Update: Ken Gurnick of MLB.com provides this bit of news:
Gagne apparently has a body type inclined to produce significant scar tissue, which has translated into requiring more time to recover between appearances this spring. It is believed the elbow sprain he suffered last spring caused the formation of scar tissue that entrapped a nerve in his elbow, requiring last June's season-ending surgery.
Gagne has been taking three days off between appearances, although that will now be trimmed to two days for the next two appearances. He said he plans to pitch on back-to-back days before Spring Training concludes, but he will not pitch two innings in any game, as he had in previous springs.
"For sure, I won't do two innings," he said. "There's no reason with the bullpen we have. If I have to during the season, I'll do it, but later in the season."
Danys Baez, RHP: In the words of Hank Hill, "Yep."
Lance Carter, RHP: If the Dodgers care to define roles this precisely, Carter is making a move to grab the seventh-inning setup role from Yhency Brazoban.
Most Likely to Succeed (2)
Yhency Brazoban, RHP: He was the No. 3 reliever entering Spring Training, so he'd have to fall quite a ways to fall off the roster. Yes, an Edwin Jackson 2004-2005 quality is starting to emerge with Brazoban, a feeling (perhaps only temporary, we can hope) that he is more shaky than sensational. But the odds remain that the Dodgers will give him a chance to prove otherwise in April.
Tim Hamulack, LHP: It's a tossup at this point for the lefthanders, but I'm giving the slight edge to the Ned Colletti acquisition.
And for the Final Spot(s), It Could Be ...
Hong-Chih Kuo, LHP: Mr. Upside - get him while he's healthy.
Franquelis Osoria, RHP: Hasn't really ever done anything wrong. Look to him if Brazoban veers toward collapse.
D.J. Houlton, RHP: He could still win a swingman role, though he'll have to show consistency.
Kelly Wunsch, LHP: More experienced than many of his competitors but working without a net.
Jonathan Broxton, RHP: Still only 21 - and in some people's minds still prone to bad innings - Broxton may simmer in Las Vegas while the team defers to the more proven veterans. (You can decide what they're proven to do.)
Takashi Saito, RHP: Dodger manager Grady Little has said nice things about Saito more than once, but he still has longshot written all over him.
Aaron Sele, RHP: Here's the deal with Sele. Right now, there's no movement to have Chad Billingsley appear in the majors this April. So Sele and Houlton are battling to be the first backup for the starting rotation. To that end, the Dodgers would probably prefer they were both starting in the minors. Despite his headlines this spring, it's hard to believe that the Dodgers want Sele for any other reason than injury insurance. So the question is mostly whether Sele decides life is too short to bum around the Pacific Coast League at age 35.
Joe Beimel, LHP: A year ago, he might well have made the team. This year, there may be too many alternatives.
Essentially, though, there are 10 guys still competing for the final three spots in the bullpen.
1
Both kuo and osoria are not out of options.
5 pitchers that are out of options and are high on the list to make the team are gagne baez brazoban carter hamulack.
I expect all 5 of them to make it.
Leaving 1 or 2 spots left.
As Jon noted, I bet houlton and sele will be the first guys to call up for an injury to the rotation, therefore they both will start in the rotation in the minors.
I think the dodgers want broxton to get more seasoning in the minors.
Saito and beimel are not worth mentioning.
Leaving kuo, wunsch, osoria competing for the 1 or 2 remaining spots in the pen.
Just my opinion.
I'd personally keep Kuo out of that last bunch. I don't see anything wrong with having two lefties in the pen...Kuo has been fantastic. Like Jon said, get'em while he's healthy.
I 100% agree.
I'm just not sure what ned wants.
I got so bored with that game I've had it paused on my tivo for about 30 mins...at least I'll be able to fast forward through all the commercials of the next game...
Position Players, first season with significant playing time:
Wilton Guerrero, 2B 1997 (357 ab's)
Adrian Beltre, 3B 1998 (195 ab's)
Alex Cora, SS 2000 (353 ab's)
Paul LoDuca, C 2001 (460 ab's)
total: two utility infielders, a good starting catcher, and one of the biggest prospect busts in recent times.
Starting Pitchers, first season with at least 10 starts:
Kaz Ishii, LHP 2002 (28 GS)
Luke Prokopec, RHP 2001 (22 GS)
Eric Gagne, RHP 2000 (19 GS)
total: one complete bust, one back end starter, and one failed starter turned superstar reliever. (should Ishii even count as a product of the farm system?)
Relievers, first season with at least 40 apperances:
Darren Dreifort, RHP 1998 (48 G)
Onan Masaoka, RHP 1999 (54 G)
Matt Herges, RHP 2000 (59 G)
total: one injury-ruined pithcer, one career AAA pitcher, one solid middle reliever.
Am I missing anyone?
So if there is a tight competition between a guy who has options and a guy who is out of options (or has an out clause) i think the guy who is out of options (or has an out clause) will make the team, i.e. martinez or robles (or both) over aybar.
Maybe even ross over repko (if repko has options).
I'll take just about anyone over Repko...
Some money available to sign a couple top free agent powerhitting high obp position players.
Some of the mediocre guys gone, due to a 1 year contract (lofton alomar carter) i wish i could say tomko and mueller.
No need for the repkos and izturis of the world.
That is if ned doesn't do something stupid.
It's the American way.
"Maybe it won't be too long," said a hopeful Navarro, whose prognosis for return is 10-14 days. "It's better than they thought. It was really painful. When it happened, I thought maybe it would be three months. Stuff happens, you know? I'm glad it happened in Spring Training."
http://tinyurl.com/mo5t8
One of the Mexican players hit a ball fairly high up off the rightfield foul pole, only to have Bob Davidson rule it a double.
1)I'm salivating if guzman joins the team and sits lofton.
2)I'd salivate even more if the dodgers kept choi and moved nomar to 3b giving choi/saenz 1b.
3)And i'm allready salivating over my boy martin starting.
#2 won't happen tho.
And knowing ned, #1 won't happen either.
I can dream tho.
I just want dodger baseball to start asap...
At least it's starting to sound as if Grittle has abandoned the idea of batting Drew 5th (instead of 3rd).
"If new GM Ned Colletti's acquisitions pay off, this will be a more talented team than the one that won a World Series 18 years ago, stunning the Mets and A's along the way."
Anyone think that this is a tad optimistic, even assuming that all the older players aquired meet their (reasonable) upsides?
To be fair, the 1988 team wasn't really that talented. Orel and Gibby carried the team, with unexpected, "timely" contributions from guys that wouldn't typically be thought of as "talented."
Zag's better come through or I'm going to quit them.
Is Chipper/Jeter's leadership auro overwhelming Martinez' better judgement, or is this just the manisfestation of the hatred aimed towards ARod by everyone? Its probably both.
There are some things best not known.
Thank you Zag's for not breaking my heart again.
I have them losing to Indiana in the next round, which means (of course) that they'll beat San Diego St.
The #1 seed is a team from Tennessee who gets to play right next door in California.
UCLA -- plays in the Pac-10
Gonzaga -- competition is San Francisco
Kansas -- headcase
Pitt -- A non-conference schedule that makes UCLA's look like the NBA
Indiana -- Not even in the tournament three weeks ago
Marquette -- We saw how that went.
Arkansas -- Why?
Bucknell -- Right.
Alabama -- Only good enough to beat Marquette
San Diego St. -- Rest assured that Air Force does not belong in this tournament.
Not that the US didn't have pinch hitters left. They still had Matt Holliday. And Brian Schneider. And ...
The score was just tied at 56...I guess I should go over and re-tie the score...
Things will get back to normal once the regular season starts and Grady Little leaves in Odalis Perez too long and then has Lance Carter relieve.
That should be good for about 300 comments.
http://www.yard-work.org/?p=470
The scoreboard identified him as "Choi HS"
The pitch limit is 95 for the final two games and the mercy rule is not in effect.
Im trying to hold my judgement of Grady until he actually make some obvious bonehead decisions. This may have already happened, but lets hope we avoid steve starting a firegradylittle.com.
Odalis Perez
Hee-Seop Choi
Jae Seo
The only other team with three players left in the WBC would have been the Pirates with Ronny Paulino, Salomon Torres, and Damaso Marte. But Marte isn't going to pitch the last two games.
I guess it goes to show how important it is to be scrappy! Stats can show trends,but they don't show a complete picture of a team or individual. There are intangible qualities that must also be considered to create a champion.It sure helps to have leadership, and teamwork. Players that hustle can make up for a lack of raw talent.
Just my opinion.
Now I'm rooting for Korea. In addition to Choi & Seo, they've got good intangibles.
They're downright scrappy!
Hustle can make some of the difference in talent, just not much. Not nearly so much as chance, which is what Scrap Über Alles types tend to like poaching. Which is irritating. Like insomnia.
Of course being left with Royce Clayton at short is certainly reason to be bummed.
Bob -- that Capitol Punishment blogger who showed up at the Griddle has some proposed questions for Boswell's chat at 11 Eastern today. Other than the failure to capitalize, I thought you'd like the first one:
"Potential questions:
-- Can Royce Clayton compensate for the loss of Guzman's swagger?
-- How did you get to be so smart? Educate me, oh wise one!
-- I think the stadium design stinks, reassure me, gentle Boz!"
http://dcbb.blogspot.com/
Truthfully I'd rather have Rauch, but I have a feeling that they're just going to squander him or lose him for nothing anyway.
Good times.
In his other trade he brought in a great young prospect in Ethier for an injury riddled, cancerous Bradley and an expendable Antonio Perez.
The man can finnagle.
1 kiely 1 , t. kiely 150 (15-1)
2 Weatherman 1 , D. Weatherman 140 (14-2)
Carter 4 , A. Carter 140 (14-2)
Willig , A. Willig 140 (14-2)
http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/group?groupID=93221&entryIDFrom=592311
I'm way, way back at 10-6. Seeded teams are 12-4.
The Americans blew an opportunity against Edgar Gonzalez in the top of the fifth, when Jeff Francoeur opened with a double and Barrett was hit by a pitch. Francoeur strayed off second when Michael Young squared to bunt, and was caught in a rundown. Gonzalez then retired Young and Derek Jeter on ground balls to end the inning.
Figures.
LOL
for Pat Borders, that is! :-)
I was checking out the sounds and had to share this with you guys:
Pat Borders Game Used Bat:
http://tinyurl.com/ryh38
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