Medlen gets the call
by sunking1056 on May 15, 2009 4:46 PM EDT
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PrintCarroll Rogers of the AJC has the scoop from Bobby Cox. Kris Medlen will be making his major league debut on Tuesday against the Rockies. He's starting for JoJo Reyes who is being sent to the bullpen (hm). No corresponding roster move known yet. I'm surprised it's not Morton, but also very excited!
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/05/15/trying-to-bring-the-mojo-home/comment-page-2/#comment-94061
This FanPost does not express the views or opinions of Talking Chop.
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/banned
"If on-base percentage is so important, then why don't they put it up on the scoreboard?"
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club. PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK!
According to royhobbs, he is actually supposed to have that power.
People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.
So I get hammered for saying...
that Reyes shouldn’t be starting (but may have the stuff to be successful in the pen), that Carlyle and Bennett shouldn’t be on the team (most likely Carlyle is the one leaving), and that we should call up Medlen/Hanson. Well, seems like I may have been on to something.
Pretty sure I said Reyes would be good in the pen before you registered here, but keep tooting your own horn
"If on-base percentage is so important, then why don't they put it up on the scoreboard?"
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club. PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK!
I can deal with Medlen getting called up....
However, the bigger question to me is what bullpen reliever is getting shipped out? If Reyes goes to the pen…does he become our 2nd lefty set up guy or does he become our new mop-up/long relief/spot starter guy?
This is not a long term point…but for the short term would the Braves benefit from bringing up another Triple A starter and putting Medlen in the pen for the moment? The bullpen has been real problem and perhaps putting a young arm like Medlen to replace Buddy and Bennett would help?
Perhaps this is the start of a realization by the Braves that they have good arms in AAA that can help the big league club but limited space in the rotation? Are they going to find a way to get the best arms on the ballclub and let spots work themselves out as things transpire? This is what the Phillies did with Madson…this is what the Red Sox did with Masterson, the Dodgers have done it with their young pitchers etc.
The reality is that the Braves won’t have a need for 2-3 starting pitchers in the next 2 years so maybe a couple guys in the pen could be helpful right now. If they do well and there is a need you can always consider moving them back in.
Otherwise-package some of these guys and get us a BAT!
so a potential #2 starter should go 2 the pen for short term and possibly ruin his llong term? BTW bullpen on average….not so bad, especially if they have a starter that can go a measly 6…
Ruin?
Why would putting someone in the bullpen for 3/4 of a season ruin him? That is not an uncommon practice. With Medlen in particular their had been concerns about his fit as a starter long term previously. He had been in the pen while in the minors and got moved out last year…worked out ok. I also stress the point…..where are you going to go with Medlen, Hanson, Reyes, Morton etc in the coming years. The rotations spots for the top 4 starters are locked up already for at least two years.
As for the bullpen…I happen to think the bullpen as a whole is OK. However, the tail end of the bullpen has been questionable. Neither Bennett nor Carlyle have pitched well. Medlen has much better stuff then either of these two. Medlen pitching at potential gives you a plus arm with high upside. Bennett and Carlyle pitching at their potential give you a serviceable relief pitcher-nothing more. I am ok with that..if they are pitching up to their potential….and they are most certainly not.
First of all, Jo Jo will be replacing probably either Bennett or Carlyle, so why would Medlen be moved into the bullpen to replace one of them?
If you move a pitcher into the pen for a season, he is going to lose endurance. He goes from pitching 6+ innings every 5th day to pitching maybe 3 or 4 innings max per week. Then if he were going to move back to the rotation, he would have to rebuild his stamina. Look at Joba Chamberlain. He still can’t really pitch deep into games and he hasn’t been as good as he probably could have been as a starter.
Also, when you say that he was moved out of the pen and it “worked out ok,” you do know that he has a .96 ERA and .78 Whip this season.
Please tell me the people who were starting pitchers in the minors, were used to begin w/ in the pen in the majors and were able to start again in later years…
Pedro Martinez
He was in the bullpen for the Dodgers before moving to the rotation for the Expos.
Looper
He was actually a reliever for his whole career until the Cards stretched him out and made him a starter.
Adam Wainright
Starter in the minors…releiver for one year (post season closer)..then starter again.
Chad Billingsley
Started out ’07 as a reliever…made about 1/2 of his appearances in relief.
Grienke
Spent most of the season in the bullpen a couple of years ago (albiet a somewhat different situation with him, but results are good).
Johan Santana
Spent the first two years in the Twins pen.
Jeff Fassero
Started almost exclusively as a rp before moving to the rotation and then finishing his career in the pen again.
Nolan Ryan
Made most of his appearances in his 1st three years as a reliever.
etc etc etc
It is not unusual for a young pitcher to spend a year in the bullpen. Not saying he has to stay there forever…but I think his value may be higher in the pen right now then starting games in AAA or even occasionally starting for the Braves as their #5. BUt you can debate that. However, the reliever to starter thing has worked fine in the past.
Nice job on all those.
"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com
How about Liriano, didn’t he start in the pen?
"If on-base percentage is so important, then why don't they put it up on the scoreboard?"
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club. PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK!
He also had TJ surgery at 22 and hasn’t been the same pitcher since then.
Not saying I disagree with the point being made, but Liriano is probably a case that would argue for the other side of this discussion.
Tommy Hanson 4 ROY
I don’t necessarily think thats what caused the TJ, but I’m not gonna argue it. Neither side can be proven right or wrong
"If on-base percentage is so important, then why don't they put it up on the scoreboard?"
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club. PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE COME BACK!
John Smoltz didn’t start out as a reliever but we all know it didn’t affect him in the least going from starting to relieving to starting.
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Braves Fan Since 1982. Go Braves!
"All opinions welcome..."
Aside from all the arm surgeries.
"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com
But those injuries were because of simply throwing a ball not starting to relieving and back again.
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Braves Fan Since 1982. Go Braves!
"All opinions welcome..."
Need to hold over until Glavine is ready
Chances are Carlyle is the odd man out. I don’t think anyone is under the illusion that he is a major league caliber pitcher. As far as your point about our AAA arms, what happens when Glavine is ready will probably be a good sign of what this organization’s plans are. If Medlen pitches well and gets forced out of the rotation by Glavine’s return then he’ll either have to A.) be moved to the penn or B.) go back to AAA and keep his trade value as a starter.
I’d love to have him pitching out of the pen, but at the same time, if he pitches well in his start or two in the majors, then he could really have a lot more value as trade bait than he would as a reliever.
His value goes up if he pitches well immediately in the bigs...
whether that is as a starter…or a reliever. But I understand your point. That may be part of the reason that Medlen is getting called up before Hanson?
Agreed
We are long in the tooth with pitching “prospects” below the major league level and already a seasoned professional staff at the Big club. We need to selloff some of this excess to attract a good bat(Adrian Gonzalez?). In order to do that, we have to give the prospective buyers some indication this is more than just a prospect. Some combonation of Medlen, Jo-Jo and KK might bring a hitter of Gonzalez’s caliber, and help clarify our rotation dilema for the next couple of years. Remember,Tim Huson is still waiting in the wings.
by mikie baseball on May 15, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
KK is not going to be traded. Period.
At least not this year. A big reason why he was signed is because the Braves wanted to get their foot in the door with Japanese players. If he’s traded right away, what kind of message will that send?
"…aren’t worthy enough to hold his (Pujols) ass cheeks apart while Playboy models wipe him with thousand dollar bills after he craps out the cure to whatever previously-incurable disease." by royhobbs 1/7/09
That if you're coming to play in Atlanta, you'd better perform.
Kidding… I pretty much agree with you, but there’s no reason for us to give Kawakami preferential treatment just because he’s Japanese. He has to perform, or he loses his job. That’s life as a ML-rookie.
Tommy Hanson 4 ROY
Adrian Gonzalez? What do we do with Kotchman the rest of the year…other than include him in the deal.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have him…but he’s signed to a very reasonable contract until like 2011. Wouldn’t make much sense for the Padres to trade him.
by Smoltz's Beard on May 15, 2009 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions
If the Padres get what they need, why not trade him? That’s the deal with any trade. Everyone is tradeable for the right price right? Just depends on what the Braves are willing to give up. Can you imagine how much better Gonzalez would hit in Atlanta? If you look at his stats he probably would have hit 40 homeruns in 2007 and 2008 if he wasn’t playing in that caverous stadium.
Anyway, I know you know this… ;-)
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Braves Fan Since 1982. Go Braves!
"All opinions welcome..."
Exactly. Their perceived value for Gonzalez is probably more than he’s worth to us considering he’s one of their most marketable players, is signed for 2.5 years at below market rates, and can probably be moved next summer or this winter for a similar return. On the other hand, we’d only be willing to offer value for him equal to what he adds beyond Kotchman’s value over the next 2.5 years and Kotchman isn’t a replacement player.
This is kind of a different situation than Tex in 2007 as the Rangers had to move him then for a quality pay-off (look what the Braves got twelve months later) and he was literally taking over for replacement players at first base.
So excited!
May have to get a Medlen jersey soon to go with my Hanson jersey.
Hopefully, he never sees the minors again. I think it speaks volumes that Kris was the one to get the call, instead of Charlie or Thomas.
Tommy Hanson 4 ROY
You have a Hanson jersey? What number? Won’t you be pissed if he gets called up and you don’t have the right number?
"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com
34
He told B-N that was favorite number. Though he’s worn several. Trust me, I’m keeping a close eye on this situation. He wore #29 with Mississippi, but someone was in #34 already, he had #34 in the AFL, and he’s in #32 again now. O’Flaherty has #34 for the big club though right now. But I would think they would steer Tommy away from #32 for the big team because Hampton wore that and that just has bad mojo written all over it.
I won’t be too pissed if he winds up in a different number longterm. It will just make for a cool story— while showing that I definitely got it before he even made his debut. But I would certainly prefer that he gets #34.
Tommy Hanson 4 ROY
yep, and tommy better be ready for the obligatory retaliation punch
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'F*ck the lemons,' and bail."
by Bravely going forward on May 15, 2009 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions
headline
Two of Braves’ stud prospects out for season with collapsed balls; Tony Armas, Jr. to pitch Tuesday.
tony armas jr. sounds like a nascar name to me
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'F*ck the lemons,' and bail."
by Bravely going forward on May 16, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions
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