Pitching thus far
1. Neftali Feliz
Many people are not fond of the idea that Feliz is being used as the
closer. They seem to deem Feliz as a natural starter. I have no problem
with that perspective but I doubt Neftali has been ready for the big
leagues as a starter. After close examination of his performance as
a reliever this year, we can see that the velocity of his fastball
wasn't stable. It hit 100mph occassionally but dropped to 93 or 94
at times. Velocity of course shouldn't be the big deal as long as
it works, but the reality is Neftali's fastball has not been exactly
untouchable, especially when the velocity failed to reach high 90s.
Nonetheless, it suffices thus far to serve as a reliable out pitch.
However, he has barely shown a decent secondary pitch to back fastball.
His control over his breaking balls wasn't good enough to a point he
is afraid to use them when there is only a one-run lead. This sounds
awefully like a typical closer, rather than someone who has starter stuff.
he couldn't control the breaking balls very well, much less command them.
As a starter, he will have to use secondary pitches and if he made
mistakes with them often, big league hitters will crush him.
If Feliz were to be transformed into a starter, he would need some work
to improve his breaking balls so as to survive the big leagues as a
starter. Unfortunately, Rangers don't have the luxury to send him down
at this point.
2. CJ Wilson
In contrast to Feliz, CJ has made a fine transition from bullpen to the
rotation. The reason why CJ was believed to have what it takes to be a
starter was because he showed he had starter stuff while pitching as a
reliever. He used to serve as the closer at times, but you rarely see a
closer who owns quality sinker, cutter, curveball, and slider at the same
time. Now as a starter, CJ has worked on changeup quite a bit. The success
of CJ's pitching relies on a good mix of pitches and good command. The
problem, though, is that CJ does not really have an out pitch. Nothing in
his repertoire is really good enough to suppress the bat in its own right.
That's why he is actually better off being a starter rather than a closer.
As a starter you have time to establish your pitches one by one and
experiment on mix and match. As a closer, you kind of need to overpower
or outwit your batter right away, and you usually don't get a second
chance to make amends in the following inning. CJ can overpower batters
sometimes but he has got some good stuff to mix, too. As long as he
maintains good command and stays healthy, he will be a formidable starter.
3. Colby Lewis
Many folks were midguided by the stats Colby brought with him from Japan.
The truth is Colby Lewis does not have excellent command. This is not
to say his command is poor. We all have seen what he can do. Even so, he
throws too many pitches out of the strike zone unnecessarily. Like CJ and
perhaps most major league pitchers, Colby needs to mix his pitches but he
does have a nice curveball looking slider. When this breaking ball manages
to be in agreement with the umpire, Colby can sail through innings.
Otherwise, he will find himself in trouble. Colby's success hinges on
the batter's confusion with timing. In order to achieve that, strikes
need to be called. My concern is this trick is a bit simplistic. After
a while, big league hitters should be able to pick up the antidote. This
follows Colby needs something like changeup to protect his fastball, and
good protection calls for strikes.
4. Rich Harden
I was never excited about signing Rich Harden. Maybe I simply didn't
know him well enough to believe he could be the ace in the rotation.
Sadly, Harden has not done anything to prove me wrong. Will he come
around? I doubt it. The disappearance of his electric fastball does
not bode well. The horrible control issue certainly does not make him
look promising, either. Moreover, if Rangers' bullpen explodes before
August, Rich Harden is surely to be held accountable. Rumor has it.
Harden might be headed to DL, and if he continues to fail his duty as
a starter, he will find himself on DL even sooner.
5. Scott Feldman
I once thought Feldman is capable of duplicating his numbers from
last year. I don't anymore. It's just painful to watch him pitch.
His constant struggle on the mount has become irritating. The opponents
are batting over 300 against him. That said, compared to Harden, Feldman
actually has a better chance to pitch better, should he be able to
locate his cutter more precisely.
6. Derek Holland
Is Holland pitching better than he did last year? It's too soon to tell.
How long can he keep his era under 3? That depends on how many HRs he
plans on giving up to right-handed batters.
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※ 編輯: kriminell 來自: 72.77.109.91 (05/25 09:07)
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