Pat Overholt; reliever or starter?

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Pat Overholt started last season as a reliever, and pitched decently well, piling up the strikeouts at Lakewood and Clearwater. This season he was converted into a starter, eventually making it to Reading. His numbers

2006, A- : 45.2 IP,  37 H, 26 BB, 52 K
2006, A+ : 26.1 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 41 K

Then as a starter

2007, A+ : 73.0 IP, 67 H, 30 BB, 56 K
2007, 2A: 77.1 IP, 85 H, 38 BB, 50 K

So, what role do you see Overholt taking in 2008, will he start back in AA? Have your say below.

8 thoughts on “Pat Overholt; reliever or starter?”

  1. Overholt struggled at Reading this year – at times, he was really bad. I see no justification for a promotion.

    So . . . . let’s talk about a really hard case. What happens to Brad Harman, both long-term and short-term? I guess he goes to Reading next year at second base – but then what? We start running into the same “problem” (actually, one of my pet peeves is when having more than one good player at a position is perceived as a problem – it’s NOT a problem) that we have with Donald – the position is completely locked up at the major league level for a long, long time. If it were me, I’d be playing both Donald and Harman at other positions in fall leagues and during the spring and perhaps even during the season. We don’t need another second baseman or shortstop unless they are utility players and I think both Donald and Harman have more of an upside than that.

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  2. Either Readings pitching coach Tom Filer or manager P.J.Forbes was interviewed, I forget which one, at season’s end and said that Overholt will be a reliever next year. They wanted to get him more innings this year as a starter but consider him a reliever in the future. With Bear Hill and Will Savage pitching well in relief in the playoff at Clearwater, the Phils seem to have some younger relief pitchers ready for AA and AAA next year.

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  3. Overholt’s only chances at the major league level are in the bullpen. With so many superior pitching prospects than he is in the system, I doubt he’ll play in Philly as a Phillie. As for Harman and Donald, both made terrific strides this year and both now appear as possible major league players. However, rather than moving them to new positions where they might lose value, think of them as chips to get us other pieces at other positions. The good organizations routinely trade “B” prospects for usuable parts and keep the “A” prospects. Neither of these kids are “A” prospects IMO especially with Jimmy and Chase in front of them and neither projects as a big bat third basemen either. Constanzo has a shot to make the bug club at some point, Golson is a maybe, Marson has a very good shot, and its still very far away for Cardenas and Berry, let alone D’Arby. The pitchers definitely look closer and several have real value. There are few free agents this year so I look for the big club to move some/many of the “B” minor leaguers in deals and they can afford to take on some salaries, without Garcia or Lieber’s big money deals.

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  4. Overholt’s future is relief. Too much of a drop in Ks switching to starting and he does not have the stuff that a Carrasco, Outman, or Happ offer. He has value as a future cheap, middle reliever on the big club.

    I can see both Donald and Harman playing in Philly. Far better and cheaper to use your home-grown young talent than keeping on bringing in guys like Perez, Agon, Nunez, even Dobbs. You always have to have a couple of these utility guys and at least one has to be competent at each of the IF positions and hopefully OF. Donald plus Harman frees up a couple million in salary.

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  6. See the Phils are sending Harman and Overholt to
    Hawaiian Winter League:

    Four-team fall developmental league will play a 40-game schedule from September 29 through November 18. Players from major league organizations as well as players from Japan and Korea will be on the rosters. The league was in existence from 1993 through 1997, disbanded and returned again a year ago.

    Phillies are sending two players: RHP Patrick Overholt and 2B/3B Brad Harman.

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  8. Put him in the pen. If Overholt had the upside of Carrasco or Outman if would be worth seeing how he develops as a starter. However, he doesn’t so why not put him back into a situation where he was successful before and give him the best shot at helping the major league team in the future.

    Give him a lot of opportunities with the big club in spring traning and then start him at Reading next year. If all goes well, the Phils could be calling him up as opposed to the AAAA types in Geary, Condrey and Sanches.

    As a side note, I’d do the exact same thing with Mathieson as well. The only exception being he’d have a legit shot to make the major league team out of spring training and if he doesn’t make it I’d put him in AAA.

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