Bass-ball
If I had to guess, or if I had to give an educated opinion that might sound a little like a guess, I'd say that Brian Bass isn't a starting pitcher in the majors. But he could be useful as a long and middle reliever in next year's bullpen.
Or he'll be forgotten faster than Rob Bell
(And that's my second Rob Bell reference this week. One of my recent favorites among ex-Orioles. Great guy. We bonded in spring training in 2007).
Now that we know Dennis Sarfate will undergo surgery on his fractured clavicle, it's safe to assume he won't pitch again this season. We've seen the last of him until spring training. And when he resurfaces, it will be as a reliever. No more starts.
When I suggested on Sunday, before knowing later in the day about his injury, that the reason television cameras captured him sitting in the dugout during Saturday's doubleheder was because he might be rejoining the rotation, Sarfate reacted as if I had slipped a mouse down his shirt.
"No! I won't be doing that!" he said, almost recoiling in horror.
The experience as a starter seemed to help him. He was forced to use more of his pitches and not rely so much on his fastball. But he knows that he's better suited to be a reliever at this level, and he appears to prefer that role. Terrific. The Orioles need him to evolve into a dependable sixth- and seventh-inning guy.
Chris Ray could have similar duties, while Jim Johnson serves as the set-up man for closer George Sherrill. Or Ray becomes the closer and Sherrill takes over for Jamie Walker. Or Randy Myers comes out of retirement and Alan Mills asks for a tryout. It's wide open. But Bass and Sarfate will do more for the team out of the bullpen. I'll go out on a limb and say so.
I really hope Ray can come back and be the dominant pitcher he was before the injury. Having Johnson, Sarfate, Ray, and Sherrill will be a great back-end of the bullpen.
Now just find us 4 more starters and we'll be good to go!
The Ray-Sherrill debate in the Warehouse will be interesting. Sherrill was a lights out set-up man in Seattle. He started quite well for our Birds as a closer but the innings and baserunners and now ERA have swelled. I'm not ready to hand Ray the closer spot either after '07. Should they battle it out in Spring Training? (Note: I do realize Baez is on the team but I count on him for water cooler duty until he shows he can get batters out)
Unfortunately, much like in fantasy sports, having many average players is not nearly as good as having a handful of spectacular ones.
Ken Francis - I agree with much of your analysis on Dave Trembley. Inflexible is a great way to describe him and it's good to note how he is different in that sense from AM.
Your example of him removing Liz after eight shutout innings(just to get Sherrill an inning) is well taken. Who announces to the media and hence to your opponent what you are planning on doing before the game? As a long time coach I might say to a player before the game "listen, here is what I'm thinking about your role tonight, so be ready, no guarantees, but this is what I'm thinking". I'm certainly not going to announce it to my opponent.
Another example of that was a few weeks ago against the Red Sox when he pronounced that Cormeir would go 45 pitches or three innings, whichever comes first. After three shutout innings and only 32 pitches Cormier comes out . He's followed by Sarfate who goes three shutout innings. With a little less rigidity and a little more flexibility the O's could have had a win by using only two pitchers. But no, he had to stick to the plan and in the final three innings of the game the bullpen imploded for another loss. That loss, in my opinion, was nearly as bad as "The Mother's Day Massacre". The difference is it occurred at a time in the season when many fans had lost interest.
But, I agree, much of what he does is troubling.
Bass reminds me a lot of Albers in many ways. They appear to have similar stuff, too. They're effective for 4 or 5 innings and then the effectiveness goes down the tubes... in a hurry. I agree that the future for Bass is in the bullpen if it's with the O's at all. I still think the same of Albers, but I'll be shocked if Albers doesn't end up shelved for most of next year with continued shoulder problems. It seems very rare for athletes to be able to hold up long-term (or sometimes even short-term) when they do straight rehab rather than surgery first. I hope it's different for Albers, but in my mind, I'm considering anything we get from him in 2009 a bonus.
I'll venture off-topic for a moment as well. Roch, it seriously makes me want to cry when I think about what kind of season this could have been had we had even just average-quality pitching this year. The O's offense has been such a pleasant surprise; as of this morning, they're 5th in the AL in scoring, ahead of other playoff teams such as Rays, Angels, and White Sox. If the O's could have even just managed "middle of the pack" pitching this year, then they'd have allowed almost 120 runs fewer than the 814 that they've allowed thus far this year. I'm not going to do the math, but I'm betting that you could find a lot of games this year whose results would have been different if you take away some runs here and there...
hey roch,
when will we know what we actually are giving up for Bass? how does that whole "player to be named later" thing work anyway? i feel like i never hear about those deals being completed.
Completely unrelated comment: This may sound odd but could Huff be in the running for AL MVP?? If you look at the numbers, he's in the top five in avg, HR's and RBI's. No one else is in the top five for all three. I was trying to think of who else is a legitimate candidate but I just can't think of one player. Hamilton cooled off, Quentin and Pedroia are both having good years. Who knows
When was Chris Ray so great that he would be handed the closer's role? Last I remember of him, he was blowing saves right and left. What about Jim Johnson? I thought he was a starter? Do they NOT plan on moving him into the rotation? They are some openings last I looked.