Here is today’s point of discussion. Mathieson is currently rehabbing in the minors, and is looking to be ready sometime in early September to pitch in the big leagues. The Phillies want to use him in the bullpen for the rest of this season to help out the big league club. The question is, what should his role be in 2008 and beyond? He features a very good fastball, 92-95 before surgery, and reports have him dotting 97 in his rehab appearances. His slider was great in the minors last year, not so good in his major league foray, but still grades out as at least major league average, and will probably be a tick or two better. His changeup is a fringe pitch right now, but again, room for improvement and should be at least average. So, do you have him start next season in AAA with the intention of him being a callup to fill a rotation spot due to injury or ineffectiveness? Do you start him in the major league bullpen next season, with the thought of possibly turning him into the team’s closer down the road? You make the call.
44 thoughts on “What to do with Scott Mathieson”
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Phuture Phillies 
Bullpen, hands down. I want Mathieson to master those two pitches, crank it up every time he comes in, and develop a bit of an attitude. Start him in the old Madson role next year, pitching the 6th or 7th; maybe by the end of the season he’s the setup guy and could close at some later point.
If he ever gets the changeup to the point where it’s an out pitch, then maybe you move him into the rotation. But this year has shown that you need some power arms who can record strikeouts down in the bullpen.
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The Phillies will need another starter next year. They really must decide whether Myers or Mathieson will be the closer candidate. I don’t think we can put both of these guys in the pen. Need to get at least two SP from among Myers, Mathieson, Castro, Durbin.
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The Mathieson question will answer itself. In the end, you hope he can hack it as a starter. If he’s really ready to help now, you put him in the pen. If Durbin, Eaton or Moyer falter down the stretch, he’s an option to start, but frankly, if that happens, it will mean the Phillies have already dropped from contention. If he’s effective as a starter in Spring Training, you put him in the rotation unless 5 other guys out-pitch him.
Pat Gillick has to become obsessed with assembling starting pitchers at every level of the organization. Myers should return to the rotation in ’08, Gillick should sign or trade for the best available starter in the off-season and at least 8 of the first 10 picks of the ’08 draft should be pitchers, almost regardless of who else is on the board.
If you put the top five starting pitchers in baseball on the Ottawa Lynx they could probably beat the Red Sox in a seven game series. Well, maybe not the Lynx, but probably over half the AAA teams could do it if you gave them Hamels, Santana, Peavy, Young and Bedard.
If Gillick focuses on collecting top notch starting pitchers, everything else will take care of itself. Winning baseball is all about pitching. Honest.
Don’t believe me?
Steve Carlton won 27 games on a Phillies team that was 59-97 overall, which is the ultimate example of the importance of starting pitching. Those ’72 Phillies (minus Carlton) were worse than any team in the majors now and there are several current AAA teams that are better, too.
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The problem heading into next year is that the only thing that’s a bigger question mark than the rotation is — you guessed it — the bullpen. I’m going to leave Myers out of this discussion for a minute. The players that the Phillies have or control are: Gordon, Madson, Geary, Mateo, and Zagurski (I’m unsure about Rosario’s status, but let’s be honest, he didn’t help us much anyway). Plus you’ve got minor league guys/organizational filler like Condrey, Bisenius, etc.
All of this means that the bullpen setup you’ve used this year walks if you don’t re-sign them (i.e. Alfonseca and Romero) — and they’ve been okay but not great anyway. The free agents out there aren’t exactly mouth watering, and as much as you’d like guys like Bisenius and Zagurski to emerge, you can’t really count on them.
Now, if we look at the starting rotation, let’s assume that Moyer decides to come back. You’ve got Hamels, Moyer, Eaton, probably Kendrick, and then a number of candidates like Durbin, Castro, and Happ to fill that last spot. It’s not ideal, to be sure, but it’s a damn sight better than the way the bullpen looks.
Given that, you’re going to want Mathieson where he can make a more immediate impact, and certainly that’s the bullpen. I agree with dajafi: with that kind of fastball and an above average slider, he has the stuff to be a great bullpen guy and future closer, and seeing as that’s a problem area for the Phils, I think that’s the way to go. I’d eventually like to see Myers move back into the rotation, and while next year may not work out for that due to the decimated nature of the ‘pen, if you groom Mathieson to take over that role, you can eventually wind up with a good closer and still have the 1-2 rotation punch of Hamels and Myers to go with young guns like Kendrick, Durbin, Happ, Carrasco, Outman, etc.
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Need set up guy for Myers. Gordon signed up but pitching on fumes. Bisenius and Mathieson will battle it out for the honor in the desert this Fall. Rotation seems set for next year based on contract status : Hamels, Moyer, Eaton Kendrick and Durbin.
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Well, that presumes that
* Myers is going back to the rotation. As much as some want him to, I don’t think he wants to, and ultimately, what you lose in value as a closer v a starter is made up for in the fact that Myers will be happy. That may seem stupid, but you do have to consider what a player is more comfortable with. Lights out Myers, ala JJ Putz this season, is probably more valuable than unhappy Myers with a 4.00 ERA as a starter.
* Moyer isn’t a lock to return. He’s been dreadful for almost 3 months now, and he is the Ancient Mariner after all, so he could retire. I don’t think he’s driven by money, so walking away from $5M isn’t the end of the world, and who knows, he could step right in and be the new pitching coach.
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I would love it if Moyer was the next pitching coach. The pitchers often give him credit for tips and advice, but when do you ever hear them give Dubee credit?
And count me in for Mathieson to the pen.
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Catering to Myers wishes about starting versus closing is a dangerous game. He’s a well-paid professional pitcher and should suck it up for the team if that’s what he’s asked to do. And I still think the rotation is where he’s needed most.
Overall, Myers strikes me as a team player. His quotes in the papers tend to be about heart, picking it up for each other and such. I don’t think he will go into the tank as a starter if he’s asked to give up his role as a closer. I think he wants to win as badly as anyone else. He’s a good soldier and he’ll compete with everything he’s got whatever they decide.
If Moyer gets bombed again tonight, I think Durbin takes his place in the rotation.
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Myers seems to have the right mentality and makeup to be a top of the line closer, and might benefit the team more in that capacity.
As for Mathieson, I guess it depends on how well his changeup does. If he is a two pitch pitcher, then let put him in the bullpen. It would be nice to have a few lights out, set up guys in the bullpen. Is Gordon under contract for next year? He seems to be running on fumes at this point in his career.
That might leave the rotation a bit short – Hamels (yay!), Kendrick (solid), Eaton (yuck) and Lohse (shrug) with Outman, Happ, Carrasco and Carpenter lurking, and Savery on the horizon. I’m assuming that Moyer hangs it up. It may be time for him to call it a career. Besides, as others have said, he’s practically a pitching coach now anyway. Durbin and Kendrick have cited him as having a positive effect on him.
– Jeff
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Jim Callis likes his arm and thinks of him more as a closer.
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Since when does Gaius Baltar know anything about pitching?
– Jeff
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As far as Myers stepping up for the team I’d say he’s done that this year and if what he desires is to be the closer he can’t certainly stick to his guns and demand that. I think all of us can remember at least one game in our head where we lost because of the bullpen. That being said, I think i’d rather have the one-two punch of Mathieson and Myers in the back of the pen especially if they resign Romero and Lohse. Our rotation would be Hamels, Kendrick, Lohse, Eaton, Durbin/Happ/Moyer. I’d be content with that rotation, but i’m also a proponent of giving the young guys a chance rather than spending money on an overpaided free agent. But I definitely thinking having two power arms in the back end of the pen will save more games than either one will win as a starter.
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Let him fight for a spot in the rotation in Spring Training. If he fails to stick, then you put him in the pen but keep him available for spot starts to see if he can ease into the starting role. If all that fails, he’s got a great future as a reliever, so you can’t really complain. I say put Castro back in the bullpen and let Scott have his day in the rotation.
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Matty is an unknown quantity now. Until we see his recovery is solid and complete, we’ll have only speculation as to his role…as usual for fan fun.
1st he needs to find his fb mph and be able to both hit spots but also have some durability for both roles. Then he needs to recover his effective slioder…or lacking that, reintroduce his curve ball…since sliders have an ability to do harm to the arm. And, of course, his command needs to measure up.
Then, if needed as as a starter, he must develop that changeup; else he is unsatisfactory for starting. As a member of the big club during this September he obviously is not able to start; so his role, if any (he coiuld just ride the pine), will be from the pen.
His 2008 will have to be determined in st.
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Bullpen for Mathieson.
Although I’ve been in favor of Myers as closer, I’m beginning to have second thoughts given the way Eaton and Moyer have pitched. Plus, the reliever FA market after the season is much better than the starter.
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Personally I’d rather see Mathieson in the starting rotation. His overall stuff and makeup puts him in the 2-3 range. If we care so much about Myers and his happiness, personally I think Scott would prefer the starting role as compared to a bullpen role. As for Xfactor and his comments about drafting pitching, I honestly disagree to a large extent. If you look at what we’ve drafted over the last couple years and you see what we’ve developed in the minor leagues…all we have is pitching! Carrasco, Outman, Happ, Drabek, Mathieson, E. Garcia, etc. Outside of Cardenas, Donald, and Marson there is very little promising hitting/position talent.
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My rule about starters is that the top three in your rotation, the Big Three, are more valuable than anyone in your bullpen, closer included.
What good is having a top closer if you don’t have a lead to protect? Three runs it the fifth inning count just as much as three in the ninth. With Hamels, Myers and Kendrick averaging 7 innings, it’s more likely that there will be bigger leads to protect, anyway, so bullpen by committee becomes a real option.
A Big Three helps keep all of the bullpen arms fresh by delivering quality starts, which over time can be more important than having a dominant closer. There’s no doubt that closers are important but I think they are definitely over-rated in today’s game.
Keep in mind that starters pitch three times as many innings as relievers. That’s a huge difference. Blowing leads is agonizing, but no more damaging than getting blown away in the early innings. A loss is a loss is a loss, whether the key inning was the first, fifth, or ninth.
Sure, closers face pinch hitters in the ninth, but the fact is, more pressure is on the hitters in save situations, not the closers. And sometimes a closer faces the 6-7-8-9 hitters, which, even with pinch hitters, is going to be easier than the 1-2-3-4 hitters that starters face three times a game. Because if you’re a great hitter, you’re already batting 1-4, you’re not on the bench waiting around to be a hero in the ninth.
If the Phillies had three starters who were comparable to Myers, then, fine, let him close. But that’s clearly not the case. We need Myers to be part of a Big Three in 2008. Period.
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Assuming Lohse and Romero are re-signed, here’s how I see it shaking down next year:
Hamels-Kendrick-Lohse-Durbin-Eaton
Myers-Mathieson-Romero-Geary-Madson?-??
I don’t see Mathieson as a starter for at least a year. You just can’t be a good major league starter without a changeup.
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The difference in value is not as drastic as you might think from the upper echelon closer to the #3 SP.
Check out this commentary on the issue.
http://www.thegoodphight.com/story/2007/8/20/12538/0247
I understand both sides, and being very sabermetrically inclined, I tend to say “starter”, but I don’t think it’s that simple. Myers 1-2 combo in terms of fastball and curve are both plus pitches. His cutter is causing him pain when he throws it, and he was quoted as saying he won’t throw it much at all in the bullpen. If he goes back to starting and he can’t throw the cutter, that removes a much needed weapon. He seems to be throwing his changeup (with a split grip) a bit more, which is nice.
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Jim,
As difficult as it is to sign or trade for pitchers in today’s game, I have to disagree with you about drafting position players over pitchers.
I love Utley and Rollins as much as anyone, and they are great examples of developing position players, I just think it would be easier to trade for them than for pitching. No one gives up pitching, and the top free agents are priced out of the Phillies range. (Or they refuse to come to the launching pad that we call home).
Why couldn’t the Phillies land Philip Hughes for Abreu? Pitching is the most precious asset and the Yankees are proof. They can stack the lineup every year without a problem, but unless they draft and develop pitching, they’re out of luck.
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There are a couple of reasons why I agree that Myers will likely have greater value to the Phils as a starter than as a closer.
First, from a sabermetric standpoint, an excellent starting pitcher simply has more value to the club than a closer because he pitches more innings. Yes, the closer may pitcher more crucial innnings, but it doesn’t make up for the sheer volume of innings a quality starter delivers.
Second, I don’t know what it is, but the overall quality of the pitching is incredibly low throughout baseball these days, particularly with the front end of the bullpen and the Phils are the postchildren for this problem. When you get long, quality starts what it generally means is that you need less in innings from your bullpen which, in turn, means that the few innings you need can be consumed by quality pitchers, not the dregs you often see out there. What’s important about this is that THE EFFECT IS CUMULATIVE. If you have four really good starters, the strain on the bullpen is so much less, and the quality of innings delivered will be so much better, than it would be if the rotation is in shambles. So when one of the readers comments about having a big three or just a solid and durable group of starters, these starters aren’t just giving you good innings, they are limiting relief innings so that what relief is needed is quality relief. This is a really important issue.
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While starters do pitch more innings and are considered more valuable than closers my other thought is this. We’ve been waiting for Myers to come out of his shell for a while now and emerge as a top starter in the league. And a lot of people thought this would be the year he does that. But he didn’t. I think had he stayed a starter he still would’ve put up a respectable and by all means good year, but if you notice he’d pitch well one day and then it’d seem like he just go out and not have the same intensity he had the game before. I’d make a similar comparison to a child with ADD. When they are focused they are good, and when they are not focused you get varying results. I think thats the way he is as a starter. I feel that him closing allows him to bare down and focus on just his one or two innings, which may be better for him and the team.
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I’m not quite sure how ANY of you could argue that Myers would be less valuable as a starter than a closer. Look at the relief-pitching market after this season, then look at the market for starting pitchers. A guy like Livan Hernandez (average in every meaning of the word) could command a 3-year, $21 million contract. There’s Cordero on the free-agent market, and I say they should make him and only him their prized free agent and court him all the way to the Bank. He’s had an incredible year.
Put Myers in the rotation, and stick Mathieson in the bullpen. If he throws 97, he won’t be of much use as a starter when you think about sticking him in the ‘pen and letting him go all out for an inning or so when compared to him having to control himself more over 6 or 7 innings. His arm would get tired so quickly from that unless he took something off of his fastball, which would render him even less effective. You don’t let a guy with two pitches become a starter, you put him in the ‘pen and let him hone his stuff, especially that lights-out fastball.
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The issue of “value” is tricky. There are 2 upper echelon closers available via free agency; Mariano Rivera and Coco Cordero in Milwaukee, and you can easily argue that Cordero is a level below Rivera. Rivera is almost a lock to remain in NY. The difference in value between an elite starter and a good starter is vast, just like the difference between an elite closer and a mediocre closer is vast.
Just for grins, Myers had a WARP (Wins Above Replacement) of 6.5 last season as a starter, and most feel he was our second best SP behind Hamels last year, and was coming into his own. Last season, the 5 best closers in baseball were arguably Papelbon, Rivera, Ryan, Nathan and Saito, as well as K-Rod. Their respective WARP’s for last season
Papelbon: 7.3
Ryan: 6.7
Rivera: 7.1
Nathan: 7.0
Saito: 5.8
K-Rod: 6.8
So, all but Saito were more valuable than Myers last season, the degree of which varies from barely at all to almost 1 full win better. Myers, if he replicates his time closing this season next year, over say, 65 innings, will be just as valuable, if not more valuable than Papelbon was in 2006.
The question is, will he improve his 2006 numbers if he goes back to starting next year? If he puts up a 4.25 ERA in 200 innings, he’s looking at a WARP of 4.0 or something close.
You can’t just say that starters are more valuable than relievers. An elite reliever is worth more, overall, than a league average starting pitcher. An elite reliever might also be worth more than a good #2 SP. Just food for thought…
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Xfactor, my comment was directed towards our minor league system right now, not the minor leagues in general. Right now the Phillies have significant depth at pitcher (Carrasco, Drabek, Mathieson, Savery, Carpenter, Outman, Happ, Garcia, etc.) Those guys are all somewhere between 1-3 years away from a potential rotation spot. So, in light of the depth as I perceive it at pitcher, I’d like to see the Phillies in particular spend some top picks on a 3B High School prospect (a Billy Rowell type talent), and some nice projectable bats if they exist at our pick. In general I completely agree that a good pitching prospect has more value to a team than a Bobby Abreu type/aged player, but would the Reds trade us Jay Bruce for Carlos Carrasco? Not a chance. If you look back at the 05 and 06 draft and look at the players picked after our first pick, you’ll find some pretty decent bats. Cedric Hunter (Padres #1 according to BA last year) was picked just a few choices above Jason Donald and after Andrew Carpenter in last year’s draft…that would have been a nice bat to have in the system.
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myers is not an elite reliever. he’s a good one, and he’s got two nice pitches, but 5 of the guys on your list have better, truly elite fastballs. and another 3 have better, truly elite breaking balls.
anyone who follows baseball can notice that there are fungible bullpen arms that have career years each season. how many fungible starters can put up a 4.00 ERA in the CBP? and how much would said fungible starter cost on the open market?
take a look at the phillies starting pitching depth going into this season. take a look at it going into 2004. not only do you need 6 major league caliber arms going into spring training, but you also need another 3 in the upper levels of the minors that could take the ball when needed.
if you are penciling ja happ or andrew carpenter into the starting rotation for next year, your team has major rotation issues.
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Myers is mearly a good reliever? No.
34.1 IP, 2.88 ERA, 7.13 H/9, 2.90 BB/9, 12.14 K/9, 0.79 HR/9
A few too many hits, 2 of the 3 HR he gave up came in 1 game, and his K rate is second best among MLB closers. Remember, this is a role he was thrust into and had to adjust to on the fly. Given a full offseason of preparation, his numbers would be even better. He just talked last night about having to approach things differently as a closer, and learning how to do that. And I know you are just trying to be controversial, because that’s what you do, but his curveball is one of the best in the league, and his fastball is 93-94 with movement. Not Joe Nathan good, but it’s an above average major league fastball.
If the Phillies had 5 starters who could go 6 innings and give up 3 ER every time out, they’d be better than they are now. 6IP, 3 ER is a 4.50 ERA. If you give Carpenter and Happ 35 starts, I think there’s a decent chance that both guys finish with an ERA around 4.50 or maybe even a tick better.
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I still think you throw a bunch of money Cordero’s way and put Myers in the rotation. He can give you 200+ good innings a year as an ace/number two, with good strikeout numbers (based on past performances as a SP). That or leave Myers in the ‘pen, put Mathieson in the rotation, and sign or trade a commodity for a very good set-up man.
As much as I hate to say it, because Tom’s really a good person, he’s got to go. He’s dead weight. Cut him early in the off-season and allow him to maybe catch on somewhere else, but he can’t be allowed to continue hurting the team by giving up the longball and not locating his pitches.
There’s so many different ways this could go, but I’d definitely prefer to see Cordero closing and Myers starting. It’s not like he’ll be a malcontent who’s pissed off about having to close, he genuinely seems interested in the team and protecting the team’s interests. If he felt like he was best utilized in the rotation, I have no doubt in my mind he’d accept the assignment and give it his all. And I’d have to say I disagree with the comment about Brett being like a child with ADD or ADHD, he’s far from that. Some games he pitches are excellent, some aren’t that great. Every pitcher has that, much like Erik Bedard did his last start after two solid ones before that.
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I just don’t see the Phils putting an arm capable of throwing one above-average pitch (fastball) and a major-league average slider (which he got rocked on last season) in the rotation. If he were Cole Hamels, he could get away with having two pitches (which Cole had til he developed a curveball – he only had fastball and changeup, as far as I know). But Hamels’ best pitch, by its very nature, is what allows/allowed him to have as much success – it has so much movement on it and dives down in the zone. A fastball is straight and hard, and major-leaguers are geared to hit it. Point is, I think a fastball like that is best utilized in closing situations, where he only has to see a batter once a game. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Mathieson had a lot of trouble the second and third times around the line-up last season because batters knew what pitches he had (fastball, slider) and had already seen the way each pitch behaved in his previous at-bat. Myers has a good fastball, very good curveball, and a good split (maybe a change-up too, which is major-league average). Put him in the rotation, he’ll be more effective with the greater arsenal he has.
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Jim,
I’m pleased with the pitchers you mentioned and I have high hopes for them all, I just don’t think the Phillies are there yet in terms of depth. I’d like to see a list twice as long. I don’t know the ratio top prospects who blossom into top starters, but I’d be shocked if it was better than 1 in 10; it’s probably more like one in 15 or even higher. We’re talking top starters, guys who would be legitimate Big Three material, which is what the Phillies need. One of those you mentioned might eventually fit the bill, but it would be optimistic to expect two of them to ever reach that level.
Steagles,
“not only do you need 6 major league caliber arms going into spring training, but you also need another 3 in the upper levels of the minors that could take the ball when needed.”
Excellent point. I’d even go farther than that and say at least 8 MLB caliber starters in Spring Training and 6 top starter prospects in AAA and AA.
Also, I think Myers can be a top closer, I just think he’s more valuable as a Big Three starter. You can argue that he’ll never be a Big Three starter, but I think that’s a bit harsh. And it’s true that you use pitches differently in different roles, but you can’t hide the lack of a pitch in the bullpen for long, and certainly not in a playoff series. You use the best you have and that’s that.
As far as Brett losing concentration as a starter, well, there was evidence of that for sure, but again, that’s a problem no matter what, closer or not. A manager and catcher have to stay on top of that like white on rice.
And yet, having said all that…some guys just do well at one job and not the other. Baseball is a quirky game. But I think Brett needs to give starting another shot. Worst case, he fails as a starter in ’08 moves back to the pen. I like his chances as a starter, though, and the greater need is there.
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“If you give Carpenter and Happ 35 starts, I think there’s a decent chance that both guys finish with an ERA around 4.50 or maybe even a tick better.”
you are mistaken. not just in a small way, but in a “kill any hope of the playoffs by july” kind of way.
kyle kendrick has been a revelation, but his performance as a rookie is not the norm. take a look at john lester or jason hirsh or john danks or dustin moseley. those lines are the norm for rookie pitchers. and all 4 of those pitchers are significantly more highly thought of than happ or carpenter.
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as for me being a contrarian, you’re fking right i am. you know why? because i have enough confidence in myself to think that when i see the world differently, what i see is correct.
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as for the possibility i might be wrong? let’s all be thankful that the worst take i’ve had has been andrew miller coming out of UNC.
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I said a “decent change”, not that it was a lock.
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I don’t think steagles likes anyone.
/but the points he/she makes are valid!
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I’d love to see Cordero get signed and have Mathieson setting him up with Myers in the rotation. But we all know this organization would never in a million years make a splash like that. I say right now, you let Mathieson fight for a rotation spot in the spring, with intentions of putting him in the bullpen unless he really impresses.
There’s only two guaranteed rotation spots next year: Hamels because he’s the man, and Eaton because he’s getting paid like he is. Aside from that, there’s a slew of guys that could fill it out, as already mentioned by a bunch of people. I think the number’s about six. I keep thinking about next year’s rotation and get excited…would anyone else like to see an in depth article about it?
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BULLPEN
One poster said it “with Outman, Happ, Carrasco and Carpenter lurking, and Savery on the horizon” They seem more suited to start in the majors than Mathison does. I don’t think he could help now as a starer but he could help now as a reliever. As a starter he would need to be in AAA develping his other pitches. As a releiver, he can contribute now to a much needed bullpen.
Assuming that Myers is a starter and the Phils shell out so dough for a closer (big IF) and resign Romero, then the bullpen looks decent with Madsen, Mathison, and Romero as the 6,7 and 8 guys. (I would love to see them bring in an established set up man as well, but that and a closer is unlikley) I would even bring Alfonseca back as a 6th inning guy and try not to pitch him as much so he doesn’t wear down.
Anyway, Mathison has the potential to do big things as a back end of the bullpen guy. He can get a start on that in September and next season.
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I’d like to see Myers in the rotation next year. I think he has more value in the rotation going say 15-10 with a 3.90 ERA than he does as a good to very good closer. My feeling is that closer has become a somewhat overrated and/or overemphasized role in baseball. In this decade, the world series winners have all had pedestrian closers with the exception of the NYY and the Angels. What all of them have had was exceptional starting pitching, with the exception of last years fluke winner, the Cardinals.
We need to add talent and depth to our bullpen for sure, but a starting rotation of Hamels, Moyer, Kendrick, Loshe, and Durbin/Eaton simply isn’t good enough. I see one ace and four #4 or #5 starters there. We need a legit Major League #2 and #3 starter to compliment Hamels. Myers can be a #3, and possibly a #2 starter. Ideally I’d like to see our rotation next year look like this: 1. Hamels 2. Myers 3. Offseason acquisition 4. Kendrick 5. Moyer/Eaton/Loshe
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xfactor, i think you’re going a little bit overboard with your hopes for our organizational pitching depth. i, myself, would like to have 20 major league #1’s and 20 more waiting in the wings in AAA, but I realize that’s probably unrealistic. right now we’re in the top 10 in baseball I’d say in terms of pitching prospects, and while some improvement is certainly possible and desirable, to devote the kind of resources that you suggest to pitching development would be irresponsibly short-sighted. i think mathieson should be earmarked for the bullpen, and myers moved back into the rotation.
SP: Hamels, Myers, Eaton, Kendrick, Durbin, Happ/Carrasco
RP: FA, Madson, Mathieson, Castro, Romero, Geary, Bisenius/Zagurski
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I’d hope the Phils cut Gordon loose, he’s awful this season and is sure to only get worse. I don’t know how much I’d like to see Castro in the major-league bullpen either, unless he’s a mop-up guy, but you already have one of those in Geary.
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Rob, I”m sorry but it won’t happen. The Phillies would never dream of cutting a player who makes over a million and has done the job in the past, even if the past isn’t that recent. Witness the fact that Rod Barajas will likely come off the DL as soon as rosters expand Saturday. Witness the fact that Jose Mesa is pitching in the late innings. I could go on.
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There seems to be a lot of discussion of Kendrick sticking in the rotation, and his stats would seem to indicate that would be a lock, but he’s still very young and many people seem to think that the wall is coming and he will hit it hard when it comes. I’m not hoping for that, but I am weary of the potential for it. Let’s hope he keeps the head of steam going at least through the end of the year. Kendrick was barely a blip on the pitching prospect map a year ago and now he’s being professed as the “junior” savior to Hamels…I’m just not sure I buy it.
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From Todd Zolecki of the Philly Inquirer on Sept 1: “Righthander Scott Mathieson (elbow surgery) was scheduled to go an inning for double-A Reading but threw only six pitches and left with discomfort in his right elbow, according to manager P.J. Forbes.”
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I happened to be in Harrisburg for the game. Mathieson looked great, gave up a bloop single, and then complained of arm trouble. He threw off the mound and stayed in the game. Threw one pitch outside and looked to say, “not working.” Didn’t look like sharp pain, and is probably just precautionary.
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Saw Mathieson pitch in Reading where he hit 100 4 times in the 7th inning. Start him in the bullpen and he is available for spot starts. Future closer with that arm
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stumbled on this old thread…the comments here about myers are somewhat ironic given whats taken place this season. the WARP numbers that PP put up gave some pause that it might just be best to put myers in the pen and cut our losses with gordon, and let happ be in the rotation permanently.
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