Jeremy Guthrie puts one theory about his 2009 season to rest
O's pitcher Jeremy Guthrie says it's too early to predict whether he and the club will avoid an arbitration hearing.
Guthrie's agent recently submitted a salary request of 3.625 million for 2010 while the O's countered at 2.3 million if it gets to an actual hearing.
"It's so early in the process, we filed numbers. I think the numbers set up the parameters for future negotiations. We'll let the process work out and hopefully it works out where both sides are pleased," the 30-year-old right hander said.
Guthrie as an Oriole:
2007: Went 7-5, 3.70 in 26 starts
2008: Went 10-12, 3.63 in 30 starts
2009: Went 10-17, 5.04 in 33 starts
Guthrie was happy to put one bizarre theory to rest. When the O's renewed his contract for 2009, Guthrie got a 650-thousand dollar deal, less than he made the previous year. Some felt Guthrie was bitter over the move and it impacted his performance.
"I never expressed that thought. It did not effect my performance in the least bit. I'm being paid to play a game I enjoy playing and last year's struggles were a function of not pitching well and not so much what I was paid to play baseball."
Guthrie, who led the AL in losses and homers allowed, has had plenty of time to look back and analyze his pitching from 2009.
"I need to locate better in the zone, I need to make better pitches with two strikes. Breaking balls need to be down in the zone as they do for any pitcher. Those are things you can work on and gain confidence in being able to do so that execution becomes more consistent."
Guthrie was able to follow up a good 2007 season with the Orioles with another one the next year. I asked him what issues pitchers like Brad Bergesen and Brian Matusz will face in year two for them.
"A hitter can make adjustments, but if you throw a nice sinker down in the zone it can get him out no matter how many adjustments he makes," said Guthrie, who pitched a career high 200 innings last season.
"The bigger challenge is a personal one for a pitcher to consistently execute. If it worked one year, there's a pretty good chance it will work the next year.
"Pitching coaches say don't change anything until they show you they made an adjustment. Pitchers like Bergesen don't need to make any changes, they just need to continue to execute pitches that have shown they can get hitters out."
Guthrie said being at FanFest helps create excitement for the players with spring training now just weeks away.
"This is a great turnout, a nice event on a much grander scale than I anticipated after signing at FanFest the day before the season begins. This gives fans a chance to interact a little more and we have all kinds of booths and things here to get us excited about baseball."
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Categories (click for archive)Orioles News | Steve Melewski |
Well I guess that sets the record straight. No it doesn’t. People shouldn’t believe what pro athletes say, especially baseball players. Guthrie admitted last year he was angry about his contract & refused to speak to the media after one solid outing because of it. He even apologized for it later. Regardless, this isn’t a big issue. Guthrie is capable of a lot, we really need him to step up this year. If he wants to get paid, earn it!
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Believe whatever you want, but you are wrong about refusing to the speak to the media over his contract. He was upset one night when he didn't pitch well and left the clubhouse before talking with the media. He later showed real class in apologizing to the reporters who were looking to interview him. It had nothing to do with his contract.
By the way, I challenge you to post any legit media source quoting Guthrie last year complaining about his contract. I don't ever remember him talking about it, but I could be wrong.........Steve
I hated that theory anyway. Guthrie is a stand-up dude.
He's stood up to some bad breaks and poor run support at times. No whining, no blaming, just kept on going out there.
Go get 'em in 2010, Jeremy. Hope they pay you some good money.
Here is hoping Guthrie has a strong rebound year. I think getting Millwood is going to take a lot of the pressure off of Guthrie. It seemed like he was missing up in the zone last year and his pitches didn't have as good movement as in years past.
On another note, with the signing of Tejada do you think Andino becomes expendable? Thanks.
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A lot of people are saying that but I don't agree. I still think they need a utility IFer with Andino and Justin Turner the top candidates. You need someone that can backup all four IF spots, plus pinch run and pinch hit late in the game. I don't see the O's using Tejada as the backup at short. Maybe in a rare case, a long extra inning game or something he could move there for an inning or two, but that's about it.....Steve
I believe Guthrie's 2009 was more a function of the World Baseball Classic participation which broke his routine for getting ready via traditional spring training routine. I also think once the season was underway, he couldn't get his lack of early/pre-season preparation out of his mind. I think it is similar to a hitter being around .200 for April and feeling like he will never be able to get back to his career average.
Steve,
Thanks for the great posts the past few days. I missed you at the MASN both when I stopped by, spent way too long in the autograph lines. Nice to see that many passionate O's fans in one place. It was a great day for me.
Kevin
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Appreciate that, Kevin.....Steve
I think Boomer's comment is (to borrow a line from a TV ad) "Brilliant!" I think the effect of participating in the World Baseball Classic has been grossly under-reported (under researched?), but my anectdotal observation is that it has a negative effect on pitchers (see, Martinez, Pedro - 2007). I expect (and hope) that Guts (and the O's) has a huge comeback year!
Mr. Steve Melewski, in a earlier comment posting from O's Fan in Montana you stated you don't believe Turner or Andino get the ax with the signing of Tejada. Who in your eyes do you believe will get cut and taken off the 40 man roster. Do you think it will be one of the many 1st baseman we have? Or possibly a pitcher?
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I would guess a pitcher. Perhaps Armando Gabino?
Please just call me Steve.
Steve, I don't remember Guthrie going off about what he was paid, either; that seems out of character for him. I wouldn't want someone on the Orioles whose performance went south because he was pouting about the size of his contract.
I expect to see the Guthrie of 2007-08 return, especially now that Millwood is on the team. I think 2009 was just an anomaly. Jeremy's too bright, too talented, too committed to his craft to have his career go belly up.
Technically, the O's could get by without Andino or Turner, as Wigginton played all four infield positions last season. I'm not saying it would be a wise move to put all that on Ty, but it could be done. Given that Aubrey has proven himself to be a better hitter than the two you mention, a possibility would be to have Ty primarily cover the two middle infield spots, with Miggy available in a pinch at short. Atkins could cover third some days, leaving Aubrey to cover first.
Steve,
I really hope Guthrie can go out there and be a workhorse again by pitching 200+ innings. I also hope he can get those home runs under control too. The way I look at things I can almost see him sliding back to the 3rd or 4th arm in the rotation with either Bergesen or Matusz moving up to the 2. Guthrie may really be able to shine in that type of situation.
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You know wherever he is slotted, a bounce back year would be so huge for this team.......Steve
"I still think they need a utility IFer with Andino and Justin Turner the top candidates. You need someone that can backup all four IF spots, plus pinch run and pinch hit late in the game. I don't see the O's using Tejada as the backup at short. Maybe in a rare case, a long extra inning game or something he could move there for an inning or two, but that's about it.....Steve"
There are a lot of questions to be answered....If Atkins and Tejada are playing the vast majority of first and third..where does that leave Ty Wigginton compared to Andino/Turner?...Isn't he going to be the primary backup infielder?...Hard to see how Andino and Turner AND Wigginton all fit into the backup infielder role....plus you have DH at bats that will seemingly have to somehow be divided up between Luke Scott, Nolan Reimold, Ty Wigginton, maybe Atkins/Tejada at times, maybe Wieters at times....it is going to be quite a challenge to keep this all going in the right direction where everybody knows their role and to also try to maximize their output against right/left.
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I think two of those three (Wigginton, Andino, Turner) could be IF backups. That makes six IFer's with the four starters. You'd have two catchers and five in the OF, the three starters, plus Pie ad Scott. That is 13 pos players if they kept 12 pitchers. Just one man's guess, doesn't mean that's how it would end up. I didn't mean to imply that Andino and Turner would both be on the team. Of the reserves, the only one I see getting a lot of at bats, barring an injury to someone, is Pie......Steve
hey Steve,
I still Jeremy has had too much pressure put on him having to be the ace of the team and with the signing of Millwood, i think a lot of that pressure will be taken off of him. I remember a lot of games last year where he would look outstanding for 4 or 5 inning and then he would throw a homerun ball right down the middle and then it seems his concentration was just shot and he would get drilled the rest of the game. I've really like him from day 1, he's a stand up guy who doesnt whine about his contract, his lack of run support and he doesn't make excuses for why he didnt have a good year. I would hope the O's offer him around 3 million or so and avoid arbitration. If he has a bounce back year, he will be looking for more money next year and that might make it easier for next year. I think Millwood will give that veteran experience to the youngsters and if we can get Bedard back i think it would make things even better. I am really excited this year to see how the youngsters do and i am so tired of all the whiners that call themselves O's fans but criticize everything that is done. I think if Mcphail brings in a solid starter then he has had an awesome off season except for maybe that big homerun guy, but i think our offense can be potent without and i tend to think were gonna have someone break out and hit close to 30 this year maybe Reimold if he gets the at bats.
Steve - Guthrie is a guy who almost seems too good to be true. He seems to be bright, well-spoken, accountable. He delayed his career for a 2-year Mormon mission and was still a 1st round draft pick.
That 3.70 ERA in '07 and '08 would be huge if he can make 30 or so starts in the middle of our rotation. He is easy to root for. The WBC may or may not have been a factor last year. He is healthy, appreciates the role and status he has here, and you have to love the "accountability with no excuses" attitude he brings. Having some of the cavalry and Matt Weiters, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold etc see how to be a pro and a good teammate is under-rated but important.
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I think you are the first to point out his accountability, but I like that too. I just didn't pitch well, he said and explained a few thoughts on why that happened. No excuses for WBC, run support, having to face NY and Boston so much, just said, hey I didn't get it done. Appreciate the candor. A 3.70 by him would be huge for this team.......Steve
Steve,
Really enjoy your posts. You bring up another great topic. JEREMY GUTHRIE.
These days Guthrie seems to be the guy left out when talking about the O's rotation going forward. in '07 and '08 he pitched extremely well and our lineup did not back him up.
Just think. If Guthrie can revert to his '08 form and this improved lineup actually gives him some run support, that's a huge shot in the arm for this team. He's a potential 15 game winner.
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Guthrie, at his best, as he was those two years, would be a real solid starter and a huge boost to the rotation and team. He's been really good two years and pretty poor one year, should be interesting to see what we get in 2010. Thanks for your nice words, really appreciate it.......Steve
Truly a stand up guy. I really hope and look for a bounce back year. Most players have a year or two in their careers that just arent up to par with their averages. Hopefully that is all '09 was for Jeremy. What a boost it would be if we had two workhorses such as Millwood and Guthrie pitching well to take some of the load off the young guns
Guthrie also debunked the theory about having Millwood taking the presure off him.No matter where he pitches in the rotation he still has to get people out. Millwood peering from the dugout doesn't change that.The 's lowballing Guthrie was bad PR whether Guts was mad about it or not. He was also mas about being called home before the WBC was over, Kranny overstepped his authority by calling him back to begin with. He wanted to root for his team to the bitter end. It's called patriotism.But the long layoffs between WBC appearances got him out of sync,that's for sure.
Why do pro athlete's salaries generate so much interest.
The average fan can't relate to the dollars and certainly
doesn't get any of it. Nevertheless, it is an unending source
of facination.