Do you have faith in Zach Jackson? Do you have hope for him?
Because while I may have said that Seth McClung has an excellent chance of closing games for the Brewers, I will guarantee that Zach will have a great chance of taking the mound for a game that matters. And judging by an MLE 5.69 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, and almost four walks per 9 innings? This shall not bode well.
But how did we get to the point where we have to put our faith in a “monster?”
Starting Pitching Depth is a misnomer.
At the end of last season, the Milwaukee Brewers were in great shape in the rotation. They had 7 starters whom have delivered in some way shape or form last season, and Manny Parra is a lefthanded starter with elite potentials. Sure, it would have been cool if they could have flipped a starter for a decent prospect. But, 8 starters man, it’s a good thing.
Sure, Ben Sheets could very well be nothing more than a mere Mark Prior wannabe in terms of his Dugout portrayal, and Parra is not in love with throwing over 100 innings, but that still leaves 6 valid starters, right?
Nope.
Chris Capuano tore yet another elbow ligament. He needs Tommy John surgery. Yovani Gallardo has a knee injury, that is something that can affect a pitcher’s style very easily.
And now the Brewers up and released Claudio Vargas. Yeah, he is pretty much made of meh. However? Meh as a pitcher is a skill in and of itself. And where does that leave the Brewers rotation?
1. Sheets (Talented when healthy, but he won’t last the season)
2. Gallardo (Pitcher with a bad knee. He will be a wee bit of a question mark.)
3. Parra (If you want him to stay healthy? He can’t pitch more than 130 IP.)
4. Bush (The man is skilled, but he’s wildly inconsistent. I still think he’d be a lot more awesome in the bullpen.)
5. Suppan (The Platinum version of Claudio Vargas.)
6. Villanueva (Pretty good. You need a good set-up man, long man or end of the rotation guy? New House is your man.)
But if you expect Sheets and Parra to miss some time? Who is the man you’ll expect to fill the slot?
CHRIS NARVESON! YEAH!
Or how about we put it this way. Chris Narveson is a man who was once very much like Manny Parra in that he was able to bring it with power. Sadly, he has also brought it like Parra in that he was unable to stay healthy. But unlike Parra, he was unable to come out the other side near to the level where he once was. (If you search out his minor league career? You’ll see that he’s added about two walks per nine innings.)
Also? He’s still injury prone like Ben Sheets.
And you know what that means? We are back to do.
Or Zach Jackson. This is going to hurt the Brewers in the end.
(Though, I expect the Brewers to sign a Durbin.)
So what if we have 10 pitchers who are all injury prone? If 5 or more are healthy at once, we’ve got a pretty decent rotation going!
Comment by Nate — March 26, 2008 @ 11:15 pm |
Nate: I do like the optimism, but logic will dictate that the Brewers will need to dig into the minors for important starts.
If they don’t I will be just as thrilled as you, because the Brewers 6 is as good as any. It’s just that seven and eight are not good for anybody.
Comment by Andrew — March 26, 2008 @ 11:30 pm |