jacksonianmarch

Dipre, he was walking a batter an inning. His mechanics were way out of whack. Think about it this way. Pitchers are mental creatures. Hitters react. For a pitcher, having him think about setting up the entire game, plus his entire arsenal, plus his motion can be too much for some guys. Some pitchers need to keep it simple. Once Bard's arsenal was simplified and his rotation smoothed out, he turned into the beast that he has become. I think the same can and will happen with Brackman. Just depends on when the Yankees decide to realize that this kid is gonna be a pen arm

DePaula still has yet to be allowed to sign, although his suspension has been lifted. Same with Carlos Mattias. The word is that the Yankees and Seattle are the final two teams in it for DePaula, but we know how that can change. Expect a verdict within the next month or so and a contract shortly thereafter

A few notes from camp... Caleb Cotham tweaked his surgically repaired knee and will likely miss the first few weeks of the season. It is being billed as precautionary, which is understandable David Adams, who hasnt played in a game this spring, will be ready to start the season. He's been dealing with an ailing elbow. Christian Garcia has been downright filthy in the spring. He is slated to start again this season in the Trenton rotation, although IMO the pen is a better idea since he's made of glass Jeremy Bleich has seen his stuff improve since he's had a few mechanical tweaks. Should be interesting to see how he bounces back from his second half slaughter in AA Slade Heathcott looks like a pest in the making. He's now had a week of multi-hit games, making seasoned minor league pitchers look foolish. His biggest problem seems to be reading pitchers, as he's been picked off a few times. Regardless, he's set to slide into the starting CF role in Charleston and should be a lot of fun to watch

Melancon will be in that equation as well and one of the guys we drafted last yr looks like he's got a big league future out of the pen, Gavin Brooks. Lefty with low 90s cheese and a devastating slurve that makes lefties look silly. He's already a reliever and should move quickly

I think they have to out of necessity. He's a big, tall guy with marginal mechanics and 2 plus pitches. Plus, having signed him to a major league deal means the clock is ticking. He's gonna have a miniscule margin for error out of the rotation this yr and he's gonna need to show that his changeup can be added back without his repertoire getting totally F'ed. He was downright unhittable when they told him to just throw his FB (and 2 seamer) and his spike curveball. Plus, they had him in the stretch to iron out the mechanical issues. I view him a lot like Daniel Bard. Big guys, marginal mechanics, but great stuff. I think he'll be a big league option for the bullpen come September.

In terms of potential Yankee bullpen guys, I have my eye on Brackman at some point this yr. He'll start off as a starter, but when he moved to the pen and his arm recovered, he looked ridiculous. From the sounds of it, he looks ridiculous again.

I think both get dealt away Dojji. Remember, Theo doesnt think about plugging minor holes with bigger players. He thinks about value, and those two guys will have major league value to another team. As a matter of fact, I would be surprised if Richardson is in the sox system come the trading deadline

So it is just dumb luck that finally, in his early 30s, AJ Burnett found the ability to have consecutive durable seasons? It doesnt have anything to do with a mechanical change or a change in approach? Cmon Dojji. I don't think I am being unreasonable here. The Yankees rotation looks to be more durable for 2010. The sox have the higher ceiling. It is all going to come down to how durable the sox rotation ends up being in 2010.

How is his elbow a ticking time bomb and anyone else's not? Cmon Dojji, you are grasping at straws here. New Yankee Stadium isnt pleasant to ANYONE as they age. It's a hitters park.

And the proof is in the pudding. Back in his Florida days, Burnett would regularly register 100mph readings on the gun. Nowadays, he sits 93-95 with occasional 97mph FBs. The bottom line is that he isnt just rearing back and throwing anymore.

Royce Ring is a bonus guy to have around. If you get him righted, then you have one hell of an arm out there to blow away lefties. But, facing reality here, he's a 29 yr old journeyman with a powerful left arm and no clue where to throw the ball

But Dojji, do you really want either of those guys languishing as the final man in the pen? This is the problem that arises. You have better options internally, but the job calls for maybe 50IP total for 2010. I dont think you are willing to settle those kids into specialist roles right now.

Pettitte hasnt been healthy? You mean the guy who has thrown 194IP or more 5 straight seasons and 6 of the last 7? And an ERA near 4 isnt out of the question, IMO. Here are his ERA's from that last 3 yrs: 4.05, 4.54, 4.16. I would consider 2 of those to be near 4. AJ Burnett has been over 200IP for 2 yrs running, something only one pitcher on your staff can claim (Lester). So any knock on his durability further entrenches my point.

I hope he can. He's pretty important to the pen as a swing guy. He really reminds me of Mendoza. Completely unspectacular, but playing a vital role. Not coincidently, the last time we won a WS, we had a guy in that exact role, and since Mendoza left for Boston, nobody filled it until last yr.

I have only watched a few games due to a busy schedule, but one fringe guy who has impressed me is Boone Logan. Yeah, he's got a pretty straight FB, but he throws it hard and seems to have an idea of where it's going. Maybe its just the spring kinks being worked out by the hitters and he'll revert to Batting practice Logan, but I think he has a real shot of making it with the Yanks

It is a reasonable claim, but I also called Lester durable on here, and he's been that way for 2 yrs as well. I think 2 consecutive yrs of 200+IP is good enough to shed the fragile tag

Good relievers are hard to come by these days. Most teams are gonna be forced to sit back and see how things shake out.

Dojji, a wise man (okay, it was Schilling) once said that the team who gets the most IP out of their starters will win the most games. The sox have the potential to be absolutely nasty. I think their 1-3, assuming they are healthy, could headline a rotation anywhere else. BUT, and this is a serious BUT, I think you have to look at this like a prospect. Ceiling and likelihood. I am pretty sure of what I am gonna get out of the yankees top 4 in the rotation. 190+IP from all 4, one ERA in the 3.2 range, the rest right around or above 4, and 200+ K's for 3 of them. They will all take the bump barring some catastrophic (read- UCL tear or freak injury) occurrence. For the sox, I am pretty sure that Lester will be a durable horse since he's done it two yrs running and has showed improvement rather than regression. The big question marks come after him. If Beckett is healthy for the entire yr, watch out. But he hasnt been that way since 2007. Lackey the same. DiceK is already injured. Wakefield is always hurt nowadays as well. So, if Lester, Beckett, and Lackey are all healthy and DiceK returns from his injury with the capability that he has shown glimpses of in the past, then I agree, the sox rotation is better. But, I think the likelihood that the sox stay healthy is small, which is why I'd have to call it a push/slight edge for NY.

Theo has him pegged as a LH specialist, but we all know Tito is gonna try him vs righties at some point. It is what he does.

Scott Schoeneweis won the final sox bullpen spot per Peter Abraham

Why even bother y228.

Exactly. I have been here for 4 yrs now and I havent changed my posting style at all since my initial run-in with the talksox law. Unfortunately, some have the thinnest of skin and are unable to bring up good, logical ideas without throwing everyone under the bus. And I find it funny, there is always one person in the middle of every fight on this forum, even amongst the sox fans. I wonder if its time for him to have a vacation?

I see, pulling out the race card. Great. Just because I used Dominican as an adjective describing you. Keep feeling like the victim here.