Earl Weaver (even though he was really kind of before my time) made a habit of breaking in young pitchers in relief, and then integrating them into the rotation when they were ready. It seems lots of teams shy away from that approach now, for whatever reason, but I think its an approach that might provide dividends for the Phillies. I have a few reasons for why I think this makes sense;

1. The Phillies currently have 5 starting pitchers under control next season; Hamels, Lee, Happ, Moyer and Blanton. Blanton will be a FA after the 2010 season, as will Moyer and Lee. While the Phillies could talk extension with Lee, there will be at least one opening, as its extremely unlikely Moyer will be here after 2010. But for 2009, the rotation appears congested as far as Drabek breaking in. He could start in AAA and if an injury occurs, be the first callup. But…

2. The Phillies more pressing need, at this point, is someone to help solidify the bullpen, and do so cheaply. The Phillies have a lot of money tied up in Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and JC Romero next season, and with an already extended budget set to be stretched even more with arbitration raises, its going to be important to add a few complimentary pieces for as little money as possible. Drabek will make the ML minimum.

3. As he displayed at the Futures Game, and in many games at two levels this year, Drabek has the stuff to get batters out right now. A 93-96 fastball with late life and a hammer curveball is all you really need at the Major League level to go through a lineup one time. He still needs to work on his changeup, but a few guys on the big league staff throw pretty damn good changeups, so you know he’d have plenty of guys to help him. It might also help that he could familiarize himself with Rich Dubee and have a year to work under him before expecting him to move to the rotation.

4. Making transitions mid-season is always tough, a guy is used to starting his whole career, then he becomes a reliever in June, and its a tough transition. But if you start preparing him now, tell him what is expected of him, and give him time to prepare, the transition will be much smoother. Also, after 2010, he’ll have an entire offseason to prepare for a move back into the rotation, and all of spring training to get stretched out.

5. He threw 158 innings this season, at age 21, after throwing 32 in 2008, 54 in 2007, and 23 in 2006. The huge increase, following a major arm surgery, is always a worry. By using him in relief, the Phillies can greatly monitor his workload and watch him up close every day in Philadelphia. In the role I see for him, he’d pitch 1 inning, sometimes 2 innings, coming in in the 6th inning of games when needed, or the 7th, and he’d end up throwing between 65-80 innings in relief.

6. After the Halladay madness, Drabek went from a guy that we (the people who pay close attention to prospects) were really curious to see, to a guy that just about every Phillies fan now knows about. The pressure on him to perform is going to be elevated, and he’s never thrown a big league pitch. Using him in the bullpen, in moderate leverage situations, gives him a chance to adapt to the big leagues, work on his changeup, and get acclimated to the major leagues before he’s being counted on to hold down a spot in the rotation.

7. Don’t waste your bullets. Every pitcher in baseball is a big injury risk. Some guys have a 14-15 year career and never spend a day on the DL, but they are massive outliers. Drabek already has one major arm surgery in the books. He’s cleaned up his mechanics, but he’s a hard thrower, and he’ll always be at risk of another injury, as most pitchers are. He’s not a raw, unproven kid, and while he could maybe benefit from a half season at AAA, if the Phillies don’t end up needing a replacement starting pitcher for a prolonged period of time, then he’ll have basically spent the entire year in AAA, while he could have been helping the big league club from Day 1.

Long term, Drabek is still a starter for me, and closer to the front of the rotation than the back. But for 2010, looking at everything with the current team and his progress, I think using him in relief at the big league level could provide great returns for the Phillies. Do you agree or disagree?

One scout who recently saw him there walked away impressed, observing, “He’s significantly smoother now, and I really like him; he’s going 95-96 mph in the first inning, and that curveball is a big-time hammer with a great arm stroke.” Drabek’s smallish frame and injury history contribute to the trouble many have figuring out exactly which direction his path will take him, but the scout saw him succeeding in a variety of roles. “He really could be anything,” the scout surmised, “I could see him starting, I could see him relieving… he could have a lot of different careers, but they’re all good ones.”

Also, as noted in the comments of the draft picks discussion, Aroldis Chapman, the best prospect in Cuba, has defected. Its a million to one shot that the Phillies would sign him, but he’d be worth every penny.

Also, I guess you can use this space to post all of your random comments that don’t belong in other places.

No surprise on Drabek, but Flande is a bit of a surprise. He wasn’t really on the radar entering this year, but has been great in the FSL, despite being old for the level. His stuff is fringy, but he apparently has solid control and command, so he could be a back end type.