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Rockies' Chacin declines AAA assignment

Written by Joe Lucia on 07 May 2012.

chacinLast Wednesday, the Colorado Rockies demoted starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin to AAA Colorado Springs. Today, the Denver Post is reporting that Chacin had not reported to Colorado Springs yet, and wasn't planning on it. 

Before the All-Star break last year, Chacin was performing pretty well. He had a 3.16 ERA in 116 2/3 innings, striking out 101, walking 50, and allowing 15 homers. Once the second half rolled along, Chacin fell off the tracks. His ERA dropped to 4.31, and Chacin struck out just 49 while walking 37 and allowing five homers in 77 1/3 innings.

2012 looked a lot like the second half of last year for Chacin as well. So far this season, he has a 7.30 ERA in 24 2/3 innings, striking out 22, walking 15, and allowing seven homers. While Chacin's control is out of whack, with his walk rate rising by a batter per inning from the second half of last year to this season, his strikeout rate is actually higher than it was in either half of the 2011 season. His failures can be summarized by his sky-high home run rate, more than twice that of his awful rate in the first half last year. 24.1% of flyballs hit against Chacin this year are flying out of the park. The standard league rate is 10.6%, so yeah, that is an odd quirk plaguging Chacin this year. Chacin's velocity HAS dropped this year, so there could be something else at work here.

As for Chacin refusing the assignment....this is a huge can of worms. Players can refuse a minor league assignment if they have at least five years of major league service time (which Chacin does not), or if they have at least three years of major league service time AND have already been outrighted once during their careers. If they go that route, they can elect to become a free agent. Cot's has Chacin listed as 2.012 years of service time coming into the year, so he doesn't qualify for that provision either. So what's going to happen here? Well, if he doesn't report, I'd assume the Rockies would throw him on the restricted list, which means he's not on the active roster, not getting paid, not accruing service team, but is still a member of the Rockies. You may have heard of the restricted list in the cases of Delmon Young, Matt Bush, and the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona this year.

UPDATE: Chacin has been placed on the 15-day DL. Well, that'll avoid all the restricted list nonsense and keeps Chacin away from the AAA assignment he didn't want.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com


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Minor League Monday: So...Now What?

Written by Tim Livingston on 07 May 2012.

I have no Bryce Harper or Mike Trout to even ode to. Enjoy picture(s?) of Taijuan Walker.

Your Top 10 Minor Leaguers

1. Dylan Bundy - RHP, Low-A Delmarva (BAL) - 5 GS, 17 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 25/2 K/BB - He pitched on Monday and finally allowed his first hit AND allowed a walk, but has still not gone past four innings yet in any of his starts. This happens a lot at the Low-A level as top prospects tend to get babied, but even now, it seems like Baltimore is being a bit too protective of its prized right-hander. That being said, Baltimore is 19-9 right now. 19-9! CHRIS DAVIS HAS A WIN! Robert Andino is hitting over .300! Who the hell IS this team? And why did they sign Miguel Tejada?

2. Jurickson Profar - SS, Double-A Frisco (TEX) - .259/.315/.464, 3 HR, 9 BB, 22 K, 4-for-4 SB - He has a 10-game hit streak going and his batting .310 over that span with five extra base hits, and is still south of 20 years old. He is still a very sexy prospect and now that he has started hitting the ball on a consistent basisl, it's only a matter of time before that hitting approach matures even more.

3. Manny Machado - SS, Double-A Bowie (BAL) - .257/.361/.406, 2 HR, 16 BB, 24 K, 3-for-5 SB - Big things are still around the corner for Machado, who hit in six of seven games this week. It has been a while since his last home run, however, and unlike Profar's Texas League bandboxes, he has to find his power in one of the toughest pitcher's leagues around.

4. Trevor Bauer - RHP, Double-A Mobile (ARI) - 7 GS, 6-1, 1.96 ERA, 41 1/3 IP, 27 H, 11 R (9 ER), 51/25 K/BB - Bauer started out horribly this week with a bad line (5 2/3 IP, 8 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 9 K) but still missed bats. He then came back with seven innings of one hit baseball, but walked five batters while striking out five, talking bluntly about how he wasn't happy with the start and needed to improve. If he can figure out how to cut down on the walks (5.48 walks per 9 IP), he should make Diamondbacks fans very happy very soon.

5. Miguel Sano - 3B, Low-A Beloit (MIN) - .299/.424/.636, 8 HR, 20 BB, 36 K, 2-for-3 SB - It's officially ridiculous at this point for the 18-year-old. He had a six-game hit streak going (with four of those being multi-hit affairs) before Sunday's 0-for-3, but he is officially becoming someone you can throw the Giancarlo Stanton comp on. And this is with a not-so-sexy strikeout rate of 28.3%. But the 20 walks MORE than outweigh that inefficiency. If you live in the midwest, go see him. Right now.

6. Taijuan Walker - RHP, Double-A Jackson (SEA) - 5 GS, 3-1, 1.30 ERA, 27 2/3 IP, 21 H, 5 R (4 ER), 28/8 K/BB - He's still both A) Not 20-years-old yet and B) Not even close to his full potential yet. Felix is King, Pineda was Prince...Walker deserves to be held in high regard among such royalty.

7. Julio Teheran - RHP, Triple-A Gwinnett (ATL) - 5 GS, 2-1, 3.66 ERA, 19 2/3 IP, 17 H, 8 ER, 17/10 K/BB - His start on Tuesday was cut short due to rain, but he looked good in the three innings he did pitch (If people can praise Bundy in short outings, I will do it with Teheran). He still needs that string of good starts to make the stats look good, as he has not gotten out of the sixth inning in any of his starts so far this season.

8. Gerrit Cole - RHP, High-A Bradenton (PIT) - 6 GS, 1-1, 3.54 ERA, 28 IP, 20 H, 15 R (11 ER), 34/10 K/BB - Forget the runs and the hits given up. This guy is still missing bats and is pounding the strike zone. He had his best start last Monday, a six inning affair where he only gave up one hit and one walk while striking out six. His stuff is still other worldly, and while his former teammate Bauer is putting up gaudy strikeout numbers, Cole has been a bit more efficient while getting hit due to a high number of strikes. That plays a lot better with his stuff, because once he figures out how to pitch better to pro hitters, he will see his numbers improve just as well.

9. Shelby Miller - RHP, Triple-A Memphis (STL) - 6 GS, 3-2, 4.45 ERA, 28 1/3 IP, 35 H, 14 ER, 37/15 K/BB - Had a two start week that saw him struggle on Monday (5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 R, HR, 4 BB, 4 K) but then look good on Sunday (5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K). Still has a fantastic K/9 IP, still has ace-level stuff, still should be in St. Louis at some point after the end of the May.

10. Francisco Lindor - SS, Low-A Lake County (CLE) - .306/.361/.455, 3 HR, 18/10 K/BB, 11-for-15 SB - 17-for-42 (.405) in his last 10 games with two homers and 5-for-7 on steals. He is still only 18 years old, too. Much like Sano, he's making the Midwest League look like no problem at all. Go see Lake County vs. Beloit come July or go see the two of them in the Midwest League All-Star Game on June 19. Sano might hit 30 homers in the derby.

Prospect Spotlight - Oscar Taveras, OF, Double-A Springfield (STL)

St. Louis is an organization that doesn't really move prospects along too quickly unless its apparent that they are too good for the league they play in (see: Pujols, Albert). But many were surprised this season when they bumped up 19-year-old Dominican outfielder Oscar Taveras to Double-A, skipping him out of an experience at High-A. The main reason? He hit a completely gonzo .386/.444/.584 at Low-A Quad Cities in 2011. So thinking that he needed a challenge, the Cardinals decided to push him up two levels.

Challenge accepted. And passed with flying colors, so far.

Taveras is hitting a robust .325/.374/.658 in 122 plate appearances so far this season, a number that still plays up high considering he has a 14/8 K/BB ratio. He has 20 extra base hits out of a total of 37. He's even 2-for-2 on stolen bases. And the left-handed hitter is making righties look absolutely powerless against him (.392/.438/.757). That being said, he still has a huge opportunity when it comes to hitting left-handed pitching (.200/.256/.475) and is left to play an outfield corner at this point, leaving his offensive value being his true calling card.

He'll turn 20 in mid-June, but at the same time, he'll be in a position where St. Louis could look for some help in right field should Carlos Beltran make his normal extended stay on Ye Olde Disabled List. If that happens, the Cardinals could do a lot worse than giving Taveras a shot, especially considering he'd help bolster the lineup that's already being led by great years from Matt Holliday, David Freese and Yadier Molina. The Cardinals have quietly put together a great farm system, even with low-end first-round draft picks to choose from, and guys like Taveras paint a pretty picture in the post-Pujols world in St. Louis. The team should still be a contender for years to come as long as their top prospects continue to produce like Taveras has.


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Nationals' GM Rizzo goes off on Cole Hamels

Written by Joe Lucia on 07 May 2012.

rizzoDuring last night's Nationals-Phillies game, Cole Hamels hit Bryce Harper in the first inning, and admitted just as much. Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo read the same quotes as well all did, and his response was about what I'd expect from Rizzo: pure, unadulterated rage.

“Players take care of themselves,” Rizzo said after I called him this morning. “I’ve never seen a more classless, gutless chicken [bleep] act in my 30 years in baseball.

“Cole Hamels says he’s old school? He’s the polar opposite of old school. He’s fake tough. He thinks he’s going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year rookie who’s eight games into the big leagues? He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”

Rizzo's comments are eerily reminiscent of Jim Tracy's this spring, who also called Ubaldo Jimenez's beanball of Troy Tulowitzki gutless.

But Rizzo wasn't done. After the initial rage had subsided, he made some solid points.

“With all the bounty [stuff] going on in professional football, the commissioner better act with a purpose on this thing,” Rizzo said. “Players have a way of monitoring themselves. We’re not here to hit people and hurt people.

“He thinks he’s sending a message to us of being a tough guy. He’s sending the polar opposite message. He says he’s being honest; well, I’m being honest. It was a gutless chicken [bleep] [bleeping] act. That was a fake-tough act. No one has ever accused Cole Hamels of being old school.”

Rizzo then had some comments on Harper, and his response to the beaning.

“This goes beyond rivalry and all that stuff,” Rizzo said. “This points to, you take the youngest guy in baseball. He’s never done a thing. And then Hamels patted himself on the back. Harper’s old school. Hitting him on the back, that ain’t old school. That’s [bleeping] chicken [bleep].”

“I knew how he was going to respond,” Rizzo said. “I’m sure he won’t be happy that I’m sticking up for him.”

It seriously amazes me how dense some people are being about this. The issue isn't Hamels hitting Harper, the issue is him coming out and immediately admitting that he intentionally did it. The issue isn't "Cole Hamels hit Bryce Harper". The issue is "Cole Hamels hit Bryce Harper, and is opening his mouth about it like a dumbass". If Hamels says something like "the pitch just got away from me", guess what? This isn't even an issue. But for him to come out like a moron and say that he intentionally hit Harper, and was trying to play old-school baseball for a kid whose only crime is being the most supremely talented teenage prospect in baseball since Alex Rodriguez...well, I'll agree with Rizzo. That's just gutless.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com


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Dugout Digest - Latos has landed

Written by Joe Lucia on 07 May 2012.

DugoutDigest

Mat Latos has had a pretty crappy run in Cincinnati so far...well, up until yesterday. Latos through six shutout innings against the Pirates, allowing two hits and three walks and striking out 11 in the process. Latos only has thrown one other shutout appearance thusfar this season, two starts ago against the Giants. However, that start was much less impressive, due to the only three strikeouts he had on that night. Latos is finally looking like the guy that the Reds thought they were getting when they gave up four players for him this winter.

Game of the Night: Orioles 9, Red Sox 6 (17 innings). This game was wacky. So wacky in fact, that each team ran out of pitchers and had to dip into the position player reserves in order to finish the game. Chris Davis got the win for the Orioles, going two scoreless innings and striking out a pair. Darnell McDonald fared worse for the Red Sox, allowing two hits, two walks, and three runs in an inning of work. The game essentially ended when Adam Jones hit a three run homer over the Green Monster off of McDonald to give Baltimore the first runs on the board since the eighth inning. The Orioles initially led the game 5-0, before Boston tied it up on a Ryan Sweeney RBI single and a Will Middlebrooks grand slam. The teams would trade single runs in the eighth, and then, the extra innings took over.

Pitching Line of the Night: I mentioned Latos's excellent start in the intro. Cole Hamels allowed just one run over eight innings for the Phillies, striking out eight in their win over the Nationals. Ubaldo Jimenez also had a decent start for the Indians, allowing just two hits over seven inning. However, Jimenez did walk five batters compared to just six strikeouts. 

Hitting Line of the Night: When you play 17 innings, crazy things happen, like with JJ Hardy. He went 5/8 with a pair of homers for the Orioles. Tyler Greene of the Cardinals went 3/3 with a pair of homers, three runs, four RBI, a walk, a double, and a stolen base. Can't get much more of a complete game than that. Ryan Doumit of the Twins went 3/3 with a pair of solo homers, and Hunter Pence went 2/5 with a pair of homers and four RBI.

Spotlight Series: Washington was looking for the sweep over the Phillies, and things didn't really go as planned. Bryce Harper got plunked and stole home in the first inning, and it was all downhill from there. The Phillies then proceeded to score nine straight runs, three of which came off of Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann, who went six innings, walked four, and struck out just one. Philadelphia then added a ton of insurance in the ninth off of Ryan Perry: six runs in fact, while Perry got just two outs. The Nationals added two more in the ninth, but it was way too late. The loss came at a price too, as right fielder Jayson Werth left the game with a broken wrist. Cole Hamels was dominant for the Phillies, and helped them to a win they really needed. Placido Polanco had three hits for the Phillies, and Hunter Pence hit two homers and drove in four. For the Nationals, Harper added a double and a single to his HBP and stolen base, while Ian Desmond singled and tripled. The Nationals still won the series two games to one, and the Phillies now know that they're not going to be pushovers this year.

Other Games: Yu Darvish lost his first game of the year as the Indians beat the Rangers 4-2. The Mets beat the struggling Diamondbacks 3-1. All four runs in Detroit came on solo homers as the Tigers beat the White Sox 3-1. The Reds shut out the Pirates 5-0 behind Latos and his great start. The Cardinals clubbed the Astros 8-2. The A's beat up on Matt Moore and the Rays, winning by a 9-5 score. The Cubs beat the Dodgers 4-3 in 11 innings, and shrimp were everywhere. Brandon Beachy was excellent for the Braves in a 7-2 win over the Rockies. The Yankees beat the Royals 10-4 in a game highlighted by a Robinson Cano grand slam, along with two other Yankee homers. The Marlins beat the pathetic Padres 6-3. The Angels beat the Blue Jays 4-3, but the big story was Albert Pujols finally homering. The Giants beat a banged-up Brewers team 4-3 in 11 innings. The Mariners beat the Twins 5-2, and Minnesota looks like the worst team in the league.

Today's Games: Nearly all the teams are active today...odd for a Monday. Mr Perfect Phil Humber starts for the White Sox in Cleveland. Roy Halladay goes for the Phillies against the Mets. Tommy Hanson and Jeff Samardzija is a good-looking duel in Chicago. Carlos Zambrano and Wandy Rodriguez is a solid matchup in Houston. Yovani Gallardo starts for the Brewers against the Reds. The impressive Lance Lynn starts for the Cardinals against the shockingly impressive Joe Saunders of the Diamondbacks. Jered Weaver faces the Twins...again...and looks for a second straight no hitter. Doug Fister makes his return to the Tigers rotation to take on the Mariners, his former team.

Enjoy your day of baseball, everyone.


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Should Cole Hamels be suspended for hitting Bryce Harper?

Written by Joe Lucia on 06 May 2012.

chamelsDuring last night's Phillies-Nationals game, Phillies starter hit Bryce Harper in the back on the first pitch of the at bat. Harper would later get the last laugh as he'd come around to steal home in the inning. In a post-game interview, Hamels actually admitted that he was attempting to hit Harper, and it wasn't just "a ball that slipped away from him". Matt Gelb of of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the full details of the interview. The key quote: "I was trying to hit him. I'm not going to deny it." Hamels then went on to talk about a small strike zone as a rookie, and how he's just trying to live up to old-time baseball, and how the league is protecting players.

My response to you, Cole? Bullcrap. How in the hell is Bryce Harper being protected eight games into his professional career? Is it because he's walked five times while only striking out four? Hamels's issue must be the Friday game in the series, in which Harper walked three times. During Harper's first walk, only one called ball came anywhere near the strike zone. The ball four call came on a checked swing by Harper, and it was a borderline call. Without a third base umpire, it was impossible to get an appeal on the play, though. During Harper's second walk, no called ball came remotely close to the plate. None of the four balls thrown to Harper on his third walk were close, either (note: two pitches don't appear on the PitchFX link because they were in the dirt).

I'm not sure where this protection garbage is coming from, but I expected more out of a guy like Hamels. That's bush league stuff. You can't admit in the year 2012 that you were trying to hit a batter. Ubaldo Jimenez threw at fomer teammate Troy Tulowitzki this spring, like Hamels, without an intent to injure, and he denied that he was trying to hit him. He got five games. Jeanmar Gomez of the Indians threw at Mike Moustakas last month, denied it, and got five games. By the same token, Jordan Zimmermann should receive a suspension for hitting Hamels in the third inning of the game.

If the MLB doesn't suspend either player for their actions, I'd be stunned, given the precedent. Hamels coming out and saying that he intentionally tried to hit Harper was possibly the dumbest thing he could have done. If the MLB sits him down for at least a week, I wouldn't bat my eyes. You can argue about "old-fashioned baseball" as much as you want, but you just can't throw at a guy and then admit that you did it on purpose. It's foolish and irresponsible.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com


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Nationals' Werth has broken wrist, will be out "awhile"

Written by Joe Lucia on 06 May 2012.

werthwrist

Washington Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth has a broken left wrist, reports Nationals beat writer Amanda Comak. He's expected to miss a significant amount of time.

Werth's injury comes at an awful time for the Nationals, who just called up Bryce Harper to fill their gaping hole in left field, caused by the injury to Michael Morse this spring. With Morse still out and Harper taking his spot in left, it looks like the merry band of mediocrity that filled in for Morse in left during the first month of the season will now be covering right field. So Roger Bernadina and Xavier Nady, come on down!

However, that might not end up being the case. Comak also reported on Saturday that Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was feeling good hitting off a tee this weekend, and was aiming to come off the DL on Tuesday. Steve Lombardozzi, who has been filling in at third while Zimmerman has been out, can then take Werth's spot in right field if the Nationals didn't want to take his bat out of the lineup. This comes with a caveat, of course: Lombardozzi is a natural infielder, and doesn't have a ton of experience in the outfield. But honestly, with how terrible Nady and Bernadina have been this year, I'd rather keep running Lombardozzi out there. He's athletic enough to play the outfield, and might actually be able to do it capably....he'll at least be an upgrade on offense over the other outfielders the team has, so at the very worst, it's a neutral move with the upside of getting a younger player who might have a little bit more of a ceiling to reach more playing time as opposed to the veterans who either don't have anything left in the tank (Nady) or never had anything to begin with (Bernadina).

Photo courtesy of Mocksession


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VIDEO: Bryce Harper steals home

Written by Joe Lucia on 06 May 2012.

This is pretty awesome. Cole Hamels hit Bryce Harper in the first inning, and Harper moved up to third on a Jayson Werth single. Hamels threw over to first to check on Werth, and as soon as he released the pitch, Harper made a beeline towards the plate, and slid in safely. You can say what you want to say about Harper's attitude and how the media portrays him, but there is no denying that he is a supremely talented individual with a good baseball head on his shoulders.


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Albert Pujols finally homers as an Angel

Written by Joe Lucia on 06 May 2012.

apujolsMay 6, 2012: a day that will forever go down in Angels history. This is the day where Albert Pujols hit his first home run with his new team. You can check out a video of it here.

Of course, this isn't a cause for celebration. It's a homer. He'll probably hit at least 30 more this year. But for a player who was getting maligned by Angels fans, the media, and fans across baseball, finally getting his first homer out of the way feels like a huge weight off of Pujols's shoulders.

Now that this silly charade of "WHEN WILL PUJOLS HOMER?!?!?" is over, maybe we can focus on the more pressing issues at hand around the league, and for the Angels. The Angels are just 11-17 right now, pending the result of today's game against the Blue Jays. Their best offensive player has been Mark Trumbo, who isn't even playing every day. Their bullpen is 0-6 this year, and they've just saved three games. With the Pujols home drama completed, it's time for the Angels to fix their other problems and begin the playoff march.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com


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Chipper Jones takes shots at Jamie Moyer and the Phillies

Written by Joe Lucia on 06 May 2012.

chipperAfter last night's 13-9 Braves win over the Rockies, Rockies starting pitcher Jamie Moyer took some shots at retiring Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. Moyer accused Jones of stealing signs while he was on second base and Brian McCann was at the dish. Chipper responded to Moyer's pistol fire by firing at him with a bazooka.

"That was all on Jamie Moyer," Jones said. "He woke a sleeping giant tonight. He started chirping and it went all downhill from there. He accused me of relaying a sign down 6-2 with a 3-0 count to Brian McCann. I have never relayed a sign to anyone while I'm on second base."

"You question our integrity, that's wrong," Jones said. "I've never accused him of doctoring a baseball. I've never accused him of over-milligraming, nothing. That's [garbage] and he woke us up. I didn't see any signs on the 900-foot homers that were hit."

Moyer gave a no comment after the game, and also before today's game. But while Braves beat writer Mark Bowman was speaking to Jones before the game today, Chipper once again went on the offense towards Moyer, and his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

If you want to stoke the fires of a rivalry, that's how you do it. For the record, I have no reason to believe that Chipper was stealing signs from Moyer and the Rockies, based solely on the fact that Moyer is a 49 year-old man with a 78 mph fastball pitching in Coors Field this year. It's batting practice for opposing hitters. Moyer's allowed five homers this year, so this clearly isn't an issue of the Braves stealing signs.

As for Chipper's jab at the Phillies? I'm sure you remember two years ago, when Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was caught by the Rockies TV broadcast looking through binoculars at the plate while the Phillies were at bat. There have also been accusations of the Phillies stealing signs against the Mets in 2007 and the Red Sox in 2008. There was also this quote from Phililes manager Larry Bowa during Philadelphia's 2009 World Series run.

"There's rumors going around that when you play the Phillies, there's a camera somewhere or bullpen people are giving signs," Bowa said at the time. "And catchers are constantly changing signs. That's the rumor. Now, is it proven? No."

Moyer was a member of the Phillies from the middle of 2006 until the 2010 season, the same time period in which the accusations occured. So while Chipper may have been a little out of bounds in tying Moyer to the accusations against the Phillies, he didn't exactly make up the Phillies tie-in with sign stealing.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com


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Heath Bell demoted from closer's role in Miami

Written by Joe Lucia on 06 May 2012.

bellThe Miami Marlins, who signed closer Heath Bell to a three year, $27 million deal this offseason, have removed Bell from the closer's role due to repeated struggles. Bell has already blown four saves this season. Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is thinking that he'll replace Bell at the back of the game with Steve Cishek.

The struggles from the 34 year-old Bell this year are pretty much the antithesis of why you don't give relievers large contracts. Bell has been an absolute disaster in South Beach this season, only saving three games (while blowing four) in seven chances. Bell has thrown 8 2/3 innings on the season, has walked ten, and struck out just six. While he's not as bad as his 11.42 ERA indiciates, his 6.88 FIP and 7.74 xFIP don't tell the tale of a pitcher who is just getting screwed over by awful luck. 

While Bell's velocity is down so far this year, it's not alarmingly down (shy of one mile per hour). Bell's main problem appears to be location, as he's only getting swings on 18.4% of pitches he's thrown outside of the strike zone, in comparison to 30.7% last year and 29.4% over his career. Another thing that's plaguing Bell is what's happening when hitters make contact. He's allowing a near career low 14.7% line drive rate, but 44.1% flyball rate is more than 10% higher than his career rate. More flyballs = more balls going into the gap and over the fence. The career low 41.2% groundball rate also indicates that there are issues with Bell's command. 

As for Cishek, he's an impressive looking young pitcher. Over his brief major league career, he's struck out 73 batters in 73 1/3 innings. This season, he's struck out 15 in 14 1/3. Walks aren't a huge problem for him, as he's walked 26 over his career and six this year. Cishek has also allowed just one home run in his career (coming last season), and is a ground ball machine, with a career rate of 55.8% and a 54.8% mark this year. He doesn't throw as hard as Bell, with a fastball clocking in at just 91.7 mph this year.

While Guillen says the move from Bell to Cishek is probably just temporary while Bell gets comfortable, I think it could benefit the Marlins long-term to keep Cishek in the role, because I think he's got some really good potential. On the other hand, Cishek isn't getting paid $27 million over three seasons. The Marlins will stubbornly keep going to Bell in the closer's role long-tern, even if he isn't the best choice for the role. We've seen it happen time and time again (think the Reds with Francisco Cordero over the last four yeasr), and there is going to be no exception this time around in Miami.

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com


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