Young pitchers developing and a look at 2010
Mock Finishes Strong...
Garrett Mock told me he has learned a lot this season in a year where he began as a reliever and was converted back to a starter.
Pitching coach Steve McCatty has preached to Garrett for him to "trust his stuff."
The word around the organization is that he's got great stuff. Garrett understands he needs to attack, keep the ball down and pitch to contact. He did that in his last start, which resulted in only one earned run over six strong innings. He also induced three double plays. It was a nice way for him to finish 2009 and head into the winter on a positive note.
Oh, What A Relief It Is!
Tyler Clippard did the reverse of what Mock did this season. He started out as a starter and made a smooth transition to reliever. After facing the Braves, Atlanta skipper Bobby Cox acknowledged how tough Tyler has been. Heading into the final weekend of the season he had a 2.78 ERA which was the lowest on the pitching staff. Tyler has become a valuable weapon out of the bullpen against both righties and lefties. He's made a strong case for himself to help out the relief corps in 2010.
Orr and a lot of Morse...
Two of the good guys in the game are both making the most of their fall opportunities. While it can be difficult to evaluate in September and October, both Pete Orr and Mike Morse have shown management they play with a lot of heart and passion for the game. Both players have made solid contributions offensively and also defensively. Their versatility is also a plus. But, what's most impressive about Pete and Mike is how hard they work and the fact that they play the game right. They are two of the good guys to root for in 2010.
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Categories (click for archive)Debbi Taylor | MASNblogs |
Debbi, you mention more good reasons to be optimistic about the 2010 NATS. Although it's tough building a contender, the organization is on the right track and we should see vast improvement next year.
Also, I want to commend you, Bob, and Rob for the outstanding broadcasts this year. All three of you work well together. You kept a positive attitude throughout this difficult year and continued to provide us with facts and good,objective reporting. Johnny and Ray also add quality to the broadcasts and round out a broadcast team that DC and MASN should be proud of.
Let's hope that Wednesday's exciting game is a preview of what to expect in 2010.
Thanks for the fun season.