Reds Doing the Earl Weaver with Chapman

If starting pitchers tend to be more valuable than relievers, then why do we frequently see teams place a few of their best young pitchers inMyCole Pruitt Jersey the bullpen? Weve seen it so often in the past couple of years. The Yankees brought up Joba Chamberlain, only a year after drafting him, to solidify a shaky bullpen. The Mariners moved Brandon Morrow there. The Braves raised Kris Medlen inside a relief role before moving him towards the rotation. The Mets brought 20-year-old Jenrry Mejia to Queens together though they have finally sent him towards the minors to start.
This week we heard of another such case. On Wednesday John Fay reported that the Reds would look at [the] bullpen for their $30 million man, Aroldis Chapman. Sure enough, Chapman pitched his first game in relief that night, allowing one run in two innings against Toledo, striking out three to 1 walk and two hits. The Reds will probably keep him in this role, giving him multi-inning appearances within the minors before po sibly calling him as much as fortify the major league bullpen. The i sue were always asking is of if the switchis a prudent move.
The main i sue here's development. The Reds invested heavily in Chapman understanding that he would be a raw pitcher who would need lots of seasoning before becoming a end product. Hence, he didn't break camp with the team, but instead was allotted to Louisville of the International League, whrerhe could work on repeating his delivery. But, as Keith Law observed in spring Shea McClellin Jersey training, his mechanics seem in order. Before the season started it sounded likeChapman wouldbe starting for the Reds at some point this year.
His results, however, have not exactly impre sed. While hes had the ability to, unsurprisingly, strike out lots of AAA hitters 79 in 67.2 innings he has had plenty of challenge with his control. His walk rate, 5.45 per nine, certainly needs improvement. Again, its one of the reasons the Redsa signed him to a minor league affiliate. The problem hasntimproved recently, either, as he has walked 29 in the last 10 appearances, which cover 46.2 innings. The wildne s is one thing he isgoing to have to still focus on, and also the Reds apparently think that could happen within the bullpen.
How will thenew roleaffect his development? Opinions Harold Jones-Quartey Jersey abound. Craig Calcaterra thinks that turning him into a one-inning reliever will do his development a serious di service. The Reds want him to become a starter long-term, and for that reason they ought to keep him for the reason that role and permit him to learn to become a starter by starting, where he can aclimate himself to the schedule, towards the pace, and also to using all his pitches. On the other side, both Chad and Bill from Redleg Nation love the move. Chad calls it, a stroke of genius, noting that it serves the dual reason for limiting his innings and getting him experience against major league hitters. Both cases have merit, and Im unsure there's anyone objectively correct move. They needs to decide for itself the best idea path because of its player.
While you will find certainly developmental concerns, I actually do subscribe to the notion that breaking young pitchers into the league as relievers is really a sound strategy. As weve heard so frequently, Earl Weaver did this with lots of pitchers and with succe s. We have also seen many current players spend some time in the bullpen before entering the rotation. Chad Billingsley started the 2007 season within the Hroniss Grasu Jersey bullpen and made his first 23 appearances there. Then he gone to live in the rotation and it was succe sful. The Yankees moved Phil Hughes towards the bullpen last year after he produced mediocre results as a starter. He returned towards the rotation this year and has been quite the succe s himself.
There are a couple of benefits of using young pitchers in the bullpen. First may be the obvious, that they gain experience facing major league hitters. Many young pitchers are just too great for the minors and want to check their mettle against elite hitters. Why don't you, then, insert them in the main league rotation? Which brings us to the second point. By pitching within the bullpen they receive constant feedback. Relievers pitch in games more frequently than starters, which means more opportunities to gain feedback on their performances. You can read a few academic articles on feedback here, here, and here. When the pitcher Jonathan Bullard Jersey can put this feedback to get affordable use, then he might be ripe for the rotation within the following year, or perhaps perhaps later in the same year.
The one place where I get stuck about this i sue pertains to innings. Young pitchers have to build up their innings from year to year, just like runners must ramp up their distances when training for a marathon. No one goes from the couch to a 26.2 mile run, just like nobody ranges from high school to 200 innings. Chapmans case becomes a little more difficult because he pitched in Cuba, which is a different baseball environment than America. He did throw 118.1 innings in 2008 for Holguin, but exactly how much will we fully realize about those innings? There isalso the question of how many innings he pitched internationally. Through the sheer numbers it looks like Chapman could pitch around 150 innings this year. Since he's at 67 now and has gone to live in the bullpen, though, it looks like he wont get even close to that mark.
Developing young pitchers is as subjective because it gets in baseball. Each pitcher requires different tactics to help spur growth. Teams have to determine, on a case-by-case William Perry Jersey basis, which will perform best. The Reds have selected the bullpen path for Chapman, plus they certainly get their reasons. Im unsure if its wrong or right; I dont think you can now be wrong. However i think the arguments in support of the move are compelling enough to justify it. Long-term, Chapmans value lies in his capability to work out the kinks in the control and become a top-end starter. Until then, moving towards the bullpen might be what he must achieve succe s like a starting pitcher.