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RINGOLSBY: All-Star system might be pitched

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 28, 2008 at 7:07 p.m.

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Brad Lidge, left, of the National League was among the 23 pitchers who appeared in the All-Star Game in July.

Photo by Jim Mcisaac / Getty Images

Brad Lidge, left, of the National League was among the 23 pitchers who appeared in the All-Star Game in July.

Mile High Watch

* Former first-round draft picks Casey Weathers (2006) and Chris Nelson (2004) are among seven players the Rockies will place on the Phoenix Desert Dogs' roster in the Arizona Fall League.

Besides Weathers, a right-handed pitcher, and Nelson, a shortstop, other Rockies prospects who will be sent to the league are right-handers Ryan Mattheus and Chaz Roe and outfielder Eric Young Jr., who were teammates of Weathers and Nelson at Double-A Tulsa this year; right-hander Shane Lindsay and catcher Mike McKenry.

Lindsay is a hard-throwing Australian who has battled arm injuries the past two years. He is ending this season at Low-A Asheville. McKenry got the Rockies' attention in spring training and has played for High-A Modesto this summer.

* By deciding to send Weathers to the AFL, the Rockies ended speculation he might be called up next week, when active rosters expand from 25 to 40.

Right-hander Oscar Villareal would seem a likely call-up so the Rockies can evaluate if he fits into their bullpen for 2009. Villa- real, who will turn 27 in November, was released by Houston despite signing a two-year, $2.85 million deal earlier this season, and he is at Triple-A Colorado Springs. As well as providing a live arm, Villareal would be a cost-efficient addition. The Rockies would be obligated for only the major league minimum salary, with Houston having to pick up the remainder.

Others under consideration for a call-up would seem to include right-handers Jason Hirsh, Greg Reynolds and Juan Morillo, left-hander Franklin Morales, first baseman Joe Koshansky, catcher Adam Melhuse, and outfielders Dexter Fowler and Cory Sullivan.

Hirsh, Reynolds and Morales would give the Rockies protection for the rotation, and the Rockies could take a late-season look at how Morales responds out of the bullpen. Koshansky deserves a reward for his season at Colorado Springs, where he is hitting .299 with 29 home runs and 116 RBI

Doubling up

Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster is the third pitcher since 1969 to record 25 saves or more one season and win at least 15 games the next, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Dempster, who had 28 saves as the Cubs' closer in 2007, is 15-5 as a starter this year. The two previous pitchers to reach that level accomplished both in a relief role, and both did it in 1973-74 - John Hiller with 38 saves for Detroit in 1973 and a 17-14 record in 1974, and Mike Marshall, who went from 31 saves for Montreal in 1973 to 15-12 for the Dodgers in 1974.

He said it

"People are going to be tripping over themselves to get to this guy. Not only is he a phenomenal competitor, not only does he have three above-average pitches, he is one of the greatest teammates a guy can have. He is such a phenomenal presence in the clubhouse."

Ned Yost, Brewers manager, on left-hander CC Sabathia, a free agent after the season.

Numbers game

38 at-bats for Washington right-handed pitcher Jason Bergmann without a hit, walk or sacrifice bunt. He is tied with Darryl Kile (Houston, 1991) for the ninth-worst offensive season in baseball history. Bob Buhl of the Milwaukee Braves and Cubs set the all-time record by going 0-for-70 in 1962.

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Even before the first pitch of the All-Star Game was thrown, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle had requested a meeting with commissioner Bud Selig to discuss concerns about the selection of pitchers for the event.

"You have two primary responsibilities," Hurdle said, "to see the game through to its conclusion and to return the players to their teams healthy."

As a result, several adjustments now are expected to the process of filling out the All-Star pitching staffs. There could be an expansion of the number of pitchers allowed on each team, which would allow an All-Star manager to pick additional pitchers to compensate for those who pitch Sunday and aren't available for the game Tuesday.

The status of All-Star pitchers has become a topic of debate this year.

First, Rockies right-hander Aaron Cook was asked if he thought his three-inning All-Star effort could have had a negative impact, and when he said "it could have," the media picked up on possible All-Star-generated ailments for Cook.

Then Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel complained that closer Brad Lidge warmed up too many times during the All-Star Game.

And, finally, when Baltimore closer George Sherrill was placed on the disabled list, his All-Star experience was mentioned.

It's not out of the question a pitcher could suffer because of an incident at the All-Star Game.

But it's also very possible that post-All-Star struggles merely are a residual of the grind of a 162-game schedule, and pitchers who carried a heavy first-half workload can hit a downturn in the second half.

Some numbers to consider:

* Of the 23 pitchers who appeared in the All-Star Game, only eight - Ryan Dempster and Carlos Marmol of the Cubs, Billy Wagner of the Mets, Brian Wilson of the Giants, Brandon Webb of Arizona, Roy Halladay of Toronto, Joe Nathan of Minnesota and Jonathan Papelbon of Boston - have lower ERAs after the All-Star break than before. Wagner, however, is on the disabled list.

* The combined record for the 13 starting pitchers who appeared in the All-Star Game was 137-55. They also had a 2.78 ERA in 240 starts before the break compared with 47-24 with a 3.67 ERA in 97 starts after the break.

* The combined record for the 10 relief pitchers who appeared in the All-Star Game was 14-20 with 229 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 412 appearances before the break, compared with 7-4 with 76 saves and a 2.49 ERA after the break.

Infield chatter

* After two-plus seasons in Philadelphia, and at the age of 45, left-handed pitcher Jamie Moyer still is going strong and has indicated an interest in returning in 2009. Moyer is 11-7 with a 3.81 ERA. He also has survived the hitter-friendly environment of Citizens Bank Park, having gone 14-8 with a 4.69 ERA in the park.

* The Angels are looking for shortstop protection in light of the loss of Maicer Izturis with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Toronto's John McDonald, David Eckstein and Marco Scutaro , Cleveland's Jamey Carroll and Baltimore's Juan Castro are possibilities.

* Right-hander Todd Jones, 40, bid adieu to his Tigers teammates and headed home to Pell City, Ala., amid indications the sore shoulder that has him sidelined could lead to his retirement, although he wants to stay in the game in a nonplaying capacity.

Out in left field

Left fielder Manny Ramirez certainly has produced since joining the Dodgers, but it hasn't translated into wins.

Ramirez hit .380 with six home runs and 21 RBI in his first 25 games with the Dodgers, but even with that production, the team went 11-14.

Closing statement

Is anybody really surprised about the battle with agent Scott Boras and Pirates president Frank Coonelly, which centers on whether the Pirates came to a proper deal with No. 1 draft pick Pedro Alvarez for $6 million?

The Pirates announced the signing of Alvarez, but he has never shown up for a physical or to sign the deal.

He now is in limbo because the Pirates have placed him on the restricted list and The Major League Baseball Players Association has filed a grievance, claiming the Pirates actually agreed to terms with Alvarez after the signing deadline of 11:59 p.m. EDT Aug. 15.

What adds to the intrigue is Coonelly drug Kansas City into the battle with Boras - a nemesis of Coonelly from Coonelly's days in the commissioner's office where one of his responsibilities was to try and limit signing bonus for drafted players.

Coonelly has claimed Alvarez's contract was filed before Kansas City filed its deal with No. 1 draft choice Eric Hosmer, the No. 3 draft overall, right behind Alvarez.

Hosmer also received $6 million from the Royals and also is a Boras client.

Royals owner David Glass is apparently irate at Coonelly for allegations that could lead to the Hosmer deal being negated.

The Royals have been emphatic that their deal was handled in a timely fashion.

Comments

  • August 28, 2008

    10:47 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    1somelikeithot writes:

    Boras is an evil, evil, evil person. He single handedly is ruining the game of baseball. It's going to get to the point where no team will draft any player he represents. The WhiteSox already refuse to draft players under his control. Many teams won't deal with him. He's so evil player's are firing him. Also, I haven't read anywhere that Glass is irate. Doubt anything will happen to Hosmer's deal at all. From what I've read the grievance filed against MLB didn't name any one player and is a blanket grievance. There's a hearing set for Sept. 10 and I doubt anything will be done. MLB gave extensions to several teams on minor league deals. There's much more to this than what you have reported. What it boils down to is Scott Boras being a control freak A-Hole. He's mad because CAA showed him up in the Posey signing. Enough said, I could go on and on because this kind of stuff just burns me up!!

  • August 30, 2008

    4:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    troopermsu writes:

    Regarding the performance of all star pitchers declining after the all star game: Is it possible that these pitchers were performing at elevated levels (thereby making their selections possible) and now they are returning to their career norms?

    I don't understand how pitching 3 innings in an all star game can be more detrimental than pitching 3 innings in any other mid-season game.

    I don't remember these complaints during the 70s and 80s. Is it possible that these modern players are not used to adversity?

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