So far, so good for Sarfate
Orioles reliever Dennis Sarfate is thriving as a closer since the season ended. He leads the Mexican Pacific League with five saves and has allowed only one run in 9 1/3 innings for Naranjeros de Hermosillo.
Sarfate has permitted five hits over his seven appearances, with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .156 against him.
"It's going good," Sarfate told me earlier today. "I started getting it back again late in the season, and when I got to Mexico, my velocity was the same, if not better. The one run I gave up was a home run. The guy got me on the first pitch. It happens. But it's going good. And I definitely like the closer role. I know when I'm going in, so it's a lot different than having to be ready from the first inning to the ninth. That's what I need, a role, whether it's a long man or the late innings. Just let me know. I haven't had that the last few years."
Sarfate's velocity was slow to return after he went on the disabled list in early May with a circulatory problem in his right hand, a condition that kept him from pitching for the Orioles until September 1. Manager Dave Trembley noted how Sarfate wasn't the same anymore, but the reliever's fastball was clocked at 96 mph in his final outing.
He brought the same heat to Mexico, but he also understands that he can't rely strictly on his fastball in the majors.
"I knew I was going to do well here," he said. "If you throw a plus-fastball, you can get away with a lot. You can blow guys away. But I've been throwing my splitter a lot and getting a lot of action on it.
"I want to prove to Andy (MacPhail) and Dave that I'm healthy again and can pitch. I don't feel anything in my arm. Everything's great. I haven't had any setbacks."
No longer restricted, Sarfate pitched on back-to-back days in Mexico and warmed up the next afternoon without entering the game. The following day, he threw two innings without any discomfort.
"My arm was able to hang on," he said.
Sarfate will return home at the end of November and train at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Arizona before rejoining Naranjeros in January for the playoffs.
"That's really a good time," he said. "That's when a lot of big league guys will come in. And that way, I'll be ready for spring training."
But will he be reporting to Sarasota?
I'll address this topic and pass along more comments from Sarfate in a future entry.
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Not only a starter, a first baseman, and a third baseman are unsolved for next season but also the bullpen. Who stays, who leaves, and who will be new?
I was actually down in Hermosillo right after the season a few years ago. I got some Naranjeros gear for the kids.
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That's awesome. They HAVE to be the only kids on the block with that stuff. - Roch
Great news!! He threw really well before his injury, and at the end of the season. If this works out, just one more spot in the pen that might be taken. (Sarfate, Koji, Hendrickson, JJ, Kam, Cly)...hopefully, we can pick up a Dotel, or similar to round it out, or Hernandez, Erbe could be put there.
what are the chances he closes in Baltimore next year?
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He'd certainly qualify as a long shot at this point. - Roch
Thanks, Roch. I'm glad to hear that Dennis seems to be doing so well. I'll be disappointed if the Orioles wind up releasing him this offseason, unless they wind up gathering more arms that are too good to pass up on.
I would really like to see us at least start the season with Chris Ray, Jim Johnson, Dennis Sarfate and Mark Hendrickson in the bullpen. Some of them have had some real rough spots this past season, but I still think that all three of the younger guys have good enough stuff that we owe it to our team to give them one more shot.
Great news. I hope we can now get more for him when we trade him in a package for a power bat. 2 pitch pitchers don't cut it in the AL east.
Sounds like he found a home. He should stay in Mexico.
That's great he's doing so well there. He should stay there and make a run at the Mexican Pacific League Hall of Fame.
I hope Sarfate gets better and improves his pitches and control. This guys so far has reminded me of a bullpen verion of d-cab. kind of all over the place with a lot of heat. He doesn't really seem to have the control for a closer though.
Bill in Salisbury said:
Great news. I hope we can now get more for him when we trade him in a package for a power bat. 2 pitch pitchers don't cut it in the AL east.
Darrin said:
Sounds like he found a home. He should stay in Mexico.
Pedro said:
That's great he's doing so well there. He should stay there and make a run at the Mexican Pacific League Hall of Fame.
Boys,
Why so much snarky pessimism; do I have to show you how easy it is to be positive?
Schoolman:
Good news about Dennis. If he can throw his fastball for strikes and his splitter in the dirt, he should have plenty to be successful at the backend of the bullpen in any Division, including the AL East.
In addition, if Dennis makes our OD Roster, or is part of a trade package, we can, once again, put the Tejada Trade in the Plus Column for Old Andrew.
Anyway, it's a good building block of information to begin putting together our positive outlook for 2010; because - that's what fans do.
HOT STOVE LEAGUE - time to build hope for next year.
2010 REGULAR SEASON - time to sharpen the long knives and begin to howl at the moon.
Naranjeros? Orange Growers? gotta love the mexican league!
Good for him, but (a) it's the Mexican League, and (b) it won't matter -- I have to really doubt he will survive the 40-man cuts.
Roch,
You're doing an outstanding job with these updates! It's especially gratifying since everyone seems to be performing so well.
I think a reasonable fan should understand that a .156 opponent batting average in the Mexican League is not going to represent performance against MLB opponents, but he's dominating thus far and that's all that can be expected.
Jim Carter
On the eve of the world series i couldn't help notice how many people want the yankee's to lose. I myself are hoping they win but not for the obvious reason.I want them to win not because i am a fan but because after spending countless of millions on salaries the last 6 years they always fell short of there goal. However last off season the owner said enough is enough and went to any lengths to win. While other teams are incapable of doing it that way, the structure of baseball allows them to persue there goals in that fashion. I have preached all year that this process will never allow the orioles to finish any higher then 3rd in this divison , but despite that i must give the yankee's , boston and any the other higher salaries teams tons of credit for always playing very hard and playing the game the right way even with there star players making huge amounts of money. I have been some what nostalgic in my last couple of postings only because i can't help think where we once were as a organization compared to where we are now as a organization, and honoring brooks last night helped me remember.The majority of fans posting on here including the owner of the blog are completely satisfied with the direction of this team. But being satisfied has different meaning to some of us.
1. When camden yards first opened and for the longest time after the only way you could get a ticket to the big games was to have some real connections, now the only way is to ask Boston and Yankee fans if they have any spares.
2. The usual way a manager is retained is to produce over a period of time, but this team only reguires there manager to be able to nurture and coddle the players. BOY HOW THE DYNAMICS OF THE GAME HAVE CHANGED.
3.Fans have always said that Peter A interfered way to much in the day to day operations of the team especially with the firing of davey Johnson,and not retaining Pat Gillick as GM. I must admit i was guilty as charged in feeling that way for the longest time,however now that Peter A has turned into a total recluse i now know that his total absense has allowed for the elimination of accountability something that can't be good.
But like i said before being satisfied is different for everybody you only need to figure out where you stand on the subject.
bob, how many times are you going to post that?
Taking the Skins on the moneyline was the dumbest advice I've ever heard.
Eagles and points was one of the easiest spreads of the weekend.
As for Chapman, I don't think we need to anty up on someone that's unproven for that amount of money. Lackey would be great, but there will be a ton of competition. I think Sheets pretty much signed with the Rangers last offseason before he was not cleared to play. I'd love to have him here but I don't see it happening. Bedard would be a good signing but yes let's keep our fingers crossed that he would stay healthy.
If we could get Webb, Wolf or Harden I would certainly endorse those moves. No to Garland and Leon if we "could" get Gavin Floyd I like that potential move as well. I don't think it will happen however.
Hey Roch,
Sorry if this was already addressed. I did a quick read-through and didn't see it. Now that Houston has chosen their manager, do you think Bob Melvin becomes a more legitimate candidate for bench coach? His name was mentioned with each opening, so now it's got me wondering if he'd be open to the position with the O's?
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I think he'd make a lot of sense, and I assume he'd be interested. - Roch
Just to clear things up from the earlier post, some jabroni named Nestor says he was at the event and bashed Peter Angelos and the Current Orioles for 'not showing up'.
I was at the event, and granted, there were not any 'current' orioles there (most of whom are most likely ON VACATION, or at their winter residences, etc), but Steve Johnson WAS there, as well as Andy MacPhail. They also made it VERY clear throughout the event that PETER ANGELOS AND THE ORIOLES helped organize and FUND the event.
It really makes me mad that I drive all the way from NC to the event, have a really good time only to hear drivel like what was posted earlier from 'nestor'.
The event was pure class, and it didn't matter to me one bit that no 'current' Oriole was there. My brother asked me the same questrion, and my response was a reasonable one, most of them live a good ways away, spent the entire season in Baltimore, and are all most likely, now, unwinding from a tough season., so I believe it is understandable that they were unable to attend... Also, maybe some HAD planned to come, but with the swine flu going around, they decided not to get anyone else sick...
William R.said:
" ... It really makes me mad that I drive all the way from NC to the event, have a really good time only to hear drivel like what was posted earlier from 'nestor' ... ."
Nicely reasoned, It did not take you very long to decipher the bilge the little phony spills on his web site. He truly has become a caricature of himself at which Baltimoreans alternately laugh and snicker.
The sad thing is that the counterfeit opinion-maker preys upon a few gullible, malleable, and angry followers. Some of them lurk in the shadows on this blog, shooting spitballs occasionally (approximately four percent of the posters that log on to the SOR, then go to Little Radio Boys' web site).
Schoolman,
If Dave is given a say in who becomes his bench coach, will he pick someone who has the credentials to be a manager-in-waiting? There will be a great deal of pressure on Dave to produce next year; perhaps Melvin, or someone with similar experience, would increase the pressure only incrementally.
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Dave hasn't stated what he's looking for in a bench coach. He told me that he'd talk more about it once the guy was hired. - Roch
Unless there are a lot people more deserving of a spot on the 40 man roster, I'd be reluctant to lose Sarfate for $50K in the Rule 5. His value is low now because he was hurt (two separate issues) and didn't pitch well upon his return. We've gone this far with him- why not give him a shot in the spring (his arm is worth one more shot). If he doesn't cut it, you haven't lost much. Finally healthy, I think he could be ready for a good year. I'd hate to dump him and have him be a solid 8th inning guy for someone else . . .
I feel the same way about Chris Ray- sometimes it's a 2 step process for pitchers- get healthy and then very gradually get your pitching mechanics straightened out. We can't wait forever on either guy, but I'd hate to dump them too soon . . .
Blancione -
~~1. When camden yards first opened and for the longest time after the only way you could get a ticket to the big games was to have some real connections, now the only way is to ask Boston and Yankee fans if they have any spares.~~
It was not hard to get into Camden Yards. Just a question of how much you were willing to pay the scalpers. Baltimore is only place I ever walked up the day of a world series game and paid face value for tix. Why would you ask Bosox fans or Yankees fans for O's tickets? Just buy them from the same absentee Oriole fans they buy them from.
~~2. The usual way a manager is retained is to produce over a period of time, but this team only reguires there manager to be able to nurture and coddle the players. BOY HOW THE DYNAMICS OF THE GAME HAVE CHANGED.~~
A manager retains his job by doing the job he is asked to do by the guy who hires him. That has never changed. Gene Mauch was retained by teams constantly after losing seasons. The St Louis Browns had 25 managers in 52 years. What good did it do them? I bet you just love Daniel Snyder and the Redskins. Like you, they too believe in firing managers who don't produce miracles with the flawed rosters they provide. Luckily the man running the Orioles recognizes when the game is about rebuilding and developing the kids, and when it is about wins and losses.
~~3.Fans have always said that Peter A interfered way to much in the day to day operations of the team especially with the firing of davey Johnson,and not retaining Pat Gillick as GM. I must admit i was guilty as charged in feeling that way for the longest time,however now that Peter A has turned into a total recluse i now know that his total absense has allowed for the elimination of accountability something that can't be good.~~
There is NO lack of accountability. You just don't understand that YOU dont get to decide what DT's job is. He is accountable to PA and to AM, not to you.