On C.J. and closing
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 19, 2008 4:32 PM CDT
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PrintSo...the inevitable "should C.J. still be closing" discussion has started up, in the wake of his recent struggles.
My thought on this?
If your first priority this season is to win ballgames, you might want to consider a change (although I don't know that there's necessarily an obvious better option right now).
If your first priority this season is to develop your young players and figure out who you can count on going forward, you absolutely do not pull him from the closer's role, unless you feel like he's mentality at a point where his confidence is shot and he can't mentality handle it any more.
Pitchers struggle. Closers sometimes struggle. They sometimes go through bad streaks and blow games.
C.J. Wilson has been closing for this team for less than a season. He's having a bad stretch right now. But I'd just as soon see the Rangers leave him in there and try to ride it out.
Either he'll continue to flame out, at which point you pull him back and limit him to a setup role. Or he'll get back on track, and (under the "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" theory) will be better for the experience.
But you are better off knowing one way or the other.
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That ship
has set sail. Let it go people. He won’t be starting as a Ranger ever again. Probably never again for anyone.
JD said so.
Straight from CJ’s mouth.
Joe Morgan: (On Jay Bruce) I think he will. He brings energy to the team, and besides that, he is a pretty good hitter.
Ken Tremendous: I like that the #1 reason he will help his team is: "energy," and the distant #2 reason is: "ability to hit baseballs."
that was assuming CJ worked out as the closer
I think feldman proves that CJ can be converted to a starter (rather quickly) in the off season
Rare Gnats Sex
Although not every pitcher will make the transition with the same success...
he should be able to do it. If he makes the switch, who would you have close?
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions
I still think Diamond would make a good fit at closer
Based on the stuff he’s displayed since coming back in AA, he’s got the gas and the strikeout pitch to do it. I know they’re going to try and bring him back as a starter first, but at this point I’d rather see Diamond closing and CJ starting next year than the other way around.
+1
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 11:08 PM CDT up reply actions
that's a horrible statement
might it be true? it MIGHT be…but I seriously doubt it
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Jun 20, 2008 12:58 AM CDT up reply actions
My thoughts....
Taking Feldman from a long reliever to starter is a lot less of a stretch than closer to starter.
I also think that CJ and JD have decided on a path and will remain on that path. LSB suggesting otherwise won’t matter.
thanks
I really thought JD read this and considered all of our helpful advice
by blueballlefty on Jun 20, 2008 1:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Cool.....
Glad to know I could help enlighten you. No need to be a jackass.
agree
at this point if the team becomes more competitive this season either by a win streak or an other Teams falling out of the playoff picture than I would think a change would need to take place
Disagree...
He isn’t a closer.
He would be a good starter. He was a starter transformed into a closer… I would rather watch him as a starter, struggling or not.
And I have always thought this, it has nothing to do with him struggling at the moment.
"No bear or disco for Juan" - Mr. Santos
What?
“He would be a good starter”
No he wasn’t. I cringed when he was pitching in a game. He always looked terrible to me. By no means was he good. He probably wasn’t even terrible. He had alright stuff when I saw him pitch as a starter, but he definitely looks sharper now then he did then.
The bloggerformelyknownasBigBaddBubbaJ
wow
thanks for that gem of intelligence.
Well I can pretend to be Britney Spears. I'm already standing in urine and I'm with someone I don't like.
yeah?
YOU suck.
go sit on a tack
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Jun 20, 2008 1:00 AM CDT up reply actions
well,
AJM said we needed to go 12-7 over that 19-game stretch, and we went 10-9 with a couple of completely wasted chances in retrospect.
Hopefully, we can take it to the crappy Nats and the slumping Astros.
Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball
Why isn't the "inevitable discussion"
...WTF was Wash thinking putting Shelton in as a pinch hitter?
A LHP came in
Cat is going to be lifted against a LHP.
The options (assuming Bradley isn’t available) were Saltalamacchia, Duran, and Shelton.
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 19, 2008 4:41 PM CDT up reply actions
I think...
you mean Laird, not Salty.
"I know you're a bit dense but no, it doesn't. Obviously lying isn't a problem for me."
how so?
"Typical woman. 'Give me' 'Give me' 'Give me'
I’ll give ya something.
1. A backhand
2. A stuffing
3. $500 if you promise never to post here again"
~ The Immortal, BG
by inactive lsb user on Jun 20, 2008 1:47 AM CDT up reply actions
Just to bunt?
I don’t get that. If you’re letting him hit away I get it.
Yeah
The bunt sign was on. Washington made yet another stupid stupid stupid call. Time to admit it, Adam!
the only thing you can say to that...
is that if he fouls off a couple bunts, hes going to have to lift the sign and let him swing away and at that point youd rather not have cat up.
if bradley couldnt go, its really more on shelton for just screwing it up than washington.
Bring up Chris Davis
although...
futurepants points out laird… i guess with laird’s good bunting, right handedness, and recent track record it probably should have been him.
the threat there being that its an extra inning game that could go on who knows how long, but probably still a better move.
Bring up Chris Davis
Laird played 3B the other night
....for Chrissakes! I’m no Laird fan, but in that situation, I’d MUCH rather see Laird than Shelton!
I don't buy...
the need to keep Laird on the bench for extra innings. Is it because he might be needed later to pinch hit? Clearly not. You have a chance to win in 9 so that can’t be it.
Is it because you need a catcher if Laird/Salty gets hurt? If that’s the case then you can still use Laird, move Salty to first, and if Laird gets hurt you just move Salty back behind the plate and insert Shelton at that point.
a fair point
I guess. Still chances of that are pretty small.
idk
think id rather have duran try to bunt then take him out for shelton or just have millwood bunt lol
but shelton is batting .200 basically only facing lefties, wats cat’s average vs. lefties
First of all
...you assume Milton wasn’t available. We don’t know that.
And your very own beasticon (Laird) was available.
He's not going to be a starter
as much as we (and he) would like the team to revisit that. We need to get over it and move on. Leave him at closer the rest of this season and then consider making a change, if warranted, over the winter. If he is still not getting it done, then you consider making him a starter again, a la Feldman, or a setup guy.
...and curse Sir Sidney Ponson, he was such a stupid git.
sort of....
Replied too quickly.
He won’t be starting next year or ever as a Ranger.
i think he is "mentally" vulnerable right now
he started getting upset with himself after the second ball he through to Tex. Shaving his head, etc. His mind is effed.
I can’t imagine that throwing him up there in save situations is the way to go. something needs to happen more significantly than just a hair cut
Rare Gnats Sex
+1
maybe a stint on the DL maybe “sore back”/ go for a hike in the mountains and find yourself son, because when he is on he is GOOD
by blueballlefty on Jun 19, 2008 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions
and this rough stretch is not just the recent blown saves
its lasted all season. he’s not the same pitcher he was last year.
Rare Gnats Sex
correct.
i can’t remember ever thinking “great. we can count on a win now that cj is in the game.”
by sam in so cal on Jun 19, 2008 5:30 PM CDT up reply actions
agreed
what good does it do to have a 37 year old closing this year?
CJ has struggled, but hes still only actually blown 3 save situations.
I give him the rest of the year. If at that point you arn’t confident, make an offseason move. Well, as the situation stands now anyway.
Bring up Chris Davis
agree
I think he has the mentality of a closer, but he gets distracted. He needs to learn to focus better, which i guess is part of the mentality of a closer, but I also think you can learn that skill. I think this stretch will make him stronger.
- "If you keep hitting me you're going to break my spirit" -Bullwinkle
i say
bump him down to the 7th inning. if he pitches better, let him close again later on. if he doesn’t, well then oh well.
http://www.buchanan4pres2008.org/
NIXON: NOW MORE THAN EVER
If he continues to struggle
might as well try him out in the rotation before demoting him to a reliever.
can someone do a comparison of his peripherals from last year to this year?
How many swings and misses is he getting that type of stuff. Just curious.
Did he throw more off-speed stuff last year? It seems like it.
Go Vote for Kinsler, Young, Hamilton, Bradley and write in Murphy. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2008/ballot_reg.html - Vote up to 25 times on as many email accounts as you can think of!
BTW,
I vote for the leave him in the closer role unless he is just mentally freaked when he goes to the mound.
Go Vote for Kinsler, Young, Hamilton, Bradley and write in Murphy. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2008/ballot_reg.html - Vote up to 25 times on as many email accounts as you can think of!
by LBBRangerFan on Jun 19, 2008 5:02 PM CDT up reply actions
well, he thought he needed to cut off all his hair
and we see where that got him.
i would say that when you make major changes, your head is involved. trust me when i say that cutting off all your hair is significant and wasn’t just a coincidence.
by sam in so cal on Jun 19, 2008 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions
That's what
the org wanted though, right?
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
OT - Firefox 3 login problems
SB Nation tech support said to check “accept 3rd party cookies” and it will work.
and it did.
Hooray.
thanks for the reminder
that i actually need to install it on this mac :)
"You got a guy coming up there who can’t hit water if he fell out of a boat." - Tom Grieve on Richie Sexson, 5.8.2008
Rest of Year
I’m not of the mind that CJ has a lot of development remaining but there’s no reason to take him out of the closers job unless its clear that he’s lost his confidence. He’s got the stuff most of the time, but he’s not consistent. He needs to get right mentally and stay there or he’s better off in another role.
I wonder just how important Aki was to the success of the Rangers bullpen in previous years. Not solely responsible for sure but a very steadying influence.
In my anger....
I will always cuss the player and say that he needs to be gone…in CJ’s instance it would be out of the closing gig.
However we do need to stick to the plan this year and find out what we have in a few guys, and CJ is 1 of those guys….now after saying that
I believe CJ is what he is….
He is basically an average left-handed 7th inning set-up man that is closing because he is on a bullpen with very little talent. He will have stretches where he looks great, but he will also have prolonged stints when he gets shelled. You can hide a guy as a set-up man when he is struggling….but you can’t hide your closer.
For this team to be a playoff contender next year, one thing we need is CJ as our Lefty set-up man and a true dominate closer needs to be added.
I’m all for giving the kid the shot to close all year,and hopefully he will prove me wrong….because I hate being right about stuff like this.
Please explain to me
You say that C.J. is going through a bad stretch, but remind me of a time where C.J. went through a dominant stretch this year? I really can’t remember.
aggierangerfan00.mlblogs.com
by aggierangerfan00 on Jun 19, 2008 5:53 PM CDT reply actions
Nope
2bb 2ks. Although in this stretch he has 15ks in 15ip. Maybe he’s trying too hard to K guys? Just throwing it out there….
Not the only black poster on LSB.
Ideally you want your closer to be striking people out
and not having the ball in play that much. I’m sure there are more advanced sabermetric stats that others know of but I imagine he was pretty lucky at the beginning of the year. I imagine he is having a pretty bad year.
Brad Lidge & Francisco Rodriguez
Are both FA’s in the offseason. Get one of them so we don’t have to go through this post-Cordero shaky-at-closer anxiety thing next year and beyond..
Seriously?
You don’t want to deal with the “shaky-at-closer anxiety thing,” so you want to bring in Lidge?
by Adam J. Morris on Jun 19, 2008 6:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Lidge this year
.90 ERA .97 WHIP 39 K’s in 30 IP 18 Saves
That’s not very shaky. I know he had struggles in the past…but maybe he’s figured it out again?
by Dirk Diggler on Jun 19, 2008 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Lidge has been great so far.
If he stays solid in the second half… why not?
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 7:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm about to turn 29
Wow…. does that mean I’m getting old? I hope not. Jeez. Anyways… Texas relied on a much older Otsuka, who produced pretty well. The Rays are getting a hell of alot out of Percival. Saying a guy isn’t worth it because he’s 30 years old is just nonsensical.
Furthermore, how many games have we shat away in the 7th/8th innings this year. We’ve not been able to get from our starters to our shaky closer without a nightly fiasco. Take a look at the Rays. They traded Wigginton last year for Dan Wheeler and acquired Percival in the offseason. Now they get from their starters to the high-five line without a hiccup. In short, getting quality relief pitchers, even paying for them, is important…... if the price is right, of course.
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 11:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Uh.
There’s a big difference between what Lidge will command and the 1.75mil we paid for Otsuka in ‘06 and the 4 mil the Rays are paying for Otsuka.
I don’t think anyone here is adverse to giving guys 1-4mil, it’s giving a dude like Lidge 10mil+ that I (we?) have qualms with.
As long as the Rangers don't blatantly
avoid addressing areas of need in the offseason… is it your money or something he’s spending?
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 20, 2008 8:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Lidge
If you want Lidge he’s going to command money like CoCo Cordero (4yr46M) got this offseason. I don’t think that’s a very good allocation of the Rangers resources. We probably won’t be ready to contend next season either and adding a pitcher that pitches one inning a game when we are winning by three runs or less won’t help us make the leap.
This is the Texas Rangers, professional destroyers of hope, we're talking about. - BAC
Paying high-end closers money is worthless
if you are a team like the Rangers that is still a couple of years from being really good.
I'd
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 6:27 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
*I'd be for moving him from the closer's role
if someone was ready to take it over… but no one is right now. When/if Madrugal/Diamond move into that role, I’m all for moving him up into the rotation.
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 6:28 PM CDT up reply actions
leave cj eddie is just awesome cuz he looks like he would dominate some enchiladas.
if this team gets like 10 games ovr .500 then maybe figure it out then
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 6:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks!
I now have a massive entry in my GDT folder…
hehe!
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
Game Day Thread
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
Agree with Adam here
CJ is the team’s closer. There is no need to develop a closer from an old guy’s arm. Now, if Jack Benny, or even Fransisco, was pitching well and looked like he could handle it, then I’d say that maybe they should have a shot at closing. But those guys have been even less reliable than CJ has.
If he doesn’t get better by the end of the year, then you start thinking about options and put CJ in the 8th inning role next year.
Bullpens are highly variable, and this year we’ve just hit upon a bad stretch. CJ’s just caught in the same funk that everyone else is out there. Patience…
AJM makes a good point
CJ was horrible today, but he was kind of set up for failure by pitching for a third straight day, and pitching in a day game after a night game in which he threw 28 pitches. He really should not have been brought in at all.
It’s frusterating to watch this but this is the same type of scenario I’ve been arguing with Salty – you gotta give the guy a shot to work through his struggles. While I don’t think CJ is going to be closing for the rest of his career (my guess is Madrigal or Diamond takes over by this time next year) he currently is our best option to send out there for now, and to supplant him with Guardado would be an even bigger blow to his phsyche than his recent struggles have been.
This is your friend:
Click the link!
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=frustrating
However, nice usage of supplant.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley
I just downloaded Firefox 3.0, actually
Just to see what all the rage was about. And I’m not sure why, but LSB looks grainy and hard to read for some reason in Firefox 3 – has anybody else experienced that?
I just downloaded it
Works fine for me.
This is the Texas Rangers, professional destroyers of hope, we're talking about. - BAC
He was also
horrible yesterday.
"Everybody wants the most they can possibly get for the least they can possibly do." - Todd Snider
I think
most of us agree with what Adam says regarding Wilson but, holy cow, it is frustrating as hell to watch him lately.
"Everybody wants the most they can possibly get for the least they can possibly do." - Todd Snider
A question
...for you guys who are quick to dismiss the starting. I may be misremembering what CJ relayed, but my impression was that Daniels wanted Wilson to get that out of his head and move on with being the team’s closer. When you consider the whole picture, I think that Daniels was under the misconception that Wilson had a good chance of being a quality closer moving forward and didn’t think that tinkering around with him starting was worth interrupting what was one of the team’s strong points last season. I disagreed, because I don’t think that his stuff is ideal for closing, and because, just going by what we know, Wilson might have the assortment of quality pitches necessary to start.
What I’m saying is that I don’t quite understand how you guys are assuming that things couldn’t have changed a little. Having said that, the same things that have led to some of his really poor outings would probably be convincing them that he just couldn’t cut it as a starter right now if he had been given the opportunity that he requested., so maybe it’s for the best.
At this point, big picture, he’s still the best reliever that the club has. But the main point in which I disagree with Adam’s premise here is that I don’t believe that the rest of the season is necessary. What if he rebounds fairly well and finishes solidly? If you take that as evidence that he needs to be the team’s closer moving forward or that he’s the right arm for that job, I think that you are misguided. Now, I don’t really have a problem with keeping him at closer. I think that demoting him is basically a panic move, because no one else out there has proven to be more reliable than him. So keep him in the role out of necessity if you aren’t going to make the move to test him as a starter this season. But don’t think that it’s a necessary step for clariy on what CJ is. He’s not an ideal closer, and this organization needs to work toward finding one of those and preparing him for his role as either a premier setup guy or a #3-4 starter.
"Misremembering"... ?
Ok, Mr. Clemens.
There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.
by SarasotaRanger on Jun 19, 2008 8:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I think we are all in agreeance
that embiggens is a perfectly cromulent word
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
i agree, i think
i think i said something similar, but I’m not sure exactly what you are advocating in the middle there. regardless, at the end of this year, I think he needs to become a starter.
Rare Gnats Sex
Didn't Ceej
say he didn’t really care if he started or closed, because either one was how you made real money? I swear he said something like that. Anyway, he knew JD wasn’t wanting him to start, but to be a reliever. So, he pushed for the closer’s role, not just a middle reliever role.
Am I misremembering too?
by Dirk Diggler on Jun 19, 2008 10:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks for summing up my thoughts for me
I was gearing up to type up a nice long post saying pretty much exactly what you said, only with a couple of hilarious fart jokes cause I’m a funny guy.
I think Ceej is a perfect 3/4 starter. He seems like he’d be a nice innings eater capable of putting up an ERA around 4 while chewing up innings.
He’s absolutely wasted as a closer. What’s his ceiling there? Todd Jones? Non-dominant closers can be had every year in the FA market. No need to waste a guy who could be a nice starter just to get one.
FART!
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Jun 19, 2008 10:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Premier setup guy
I think that’s his destiny. Rightly or wrongly I think the Rangers brass just doesn’t see him as a starter. Problem is, who in the system could really be a closer? Madrigal perhaps, but as soon as next year?
...and curse Sir Sidney Ponson, he was such a stupid git.
i think
C.J. would be alright as a starter but not all that good
he could really excel as a guy who comes in when the game is close in 7th or 8th when there are 2 or 3 lefties up.but that role is not as important as closer is
although
we are having bullpen problems, i am glad that our rotation is KIND OF good. i mean its easier to fix bullpens than it is to fix rotations and hurley has also looked great to me. right after that homer to chipper, tex was up and he struck him out on 3 pitches and on every strike texiera just looked silly out there because of hurley’s nasty stuff
An even 100
"Typical woman. 'Give me' 'Give me' 'Give me'
I’ll give ya something.
1. A backhand
2. A stuffing
3. $500 if you promise never to post here again"
~ The Immortal, BG
by inactive lsb user on Jun 20, 2008 12:04 AM CDT reply actions
Agree with AJM...
BGL has struggled, no doubt, but as ab said I think a lot of it is mental right now.
Let us not forget the last 2 games if he makes a good throw to 1st on Wednesday and fields that Francoeur grounder tonight he probably has 2 saves. He’s not dominating but it’s not like he is getting crushed out there either. I think he is struggling a little with his control becuase he is thinking to much and not trusting his stuff.
And my goodness is a hold a useless stat or what. BGL got a hold for the game tonight while Wright took the blown save, really?
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
i'm sure not many care
but just got here to san jose, actually visitin’ fam here in Freemont. First time in California. I’ll check out san fran tomorrow, but is it just me, or does it seem more clean out here??
Stats don't lie
14
14 is the number at hand here. that is the number of saves cj has. trust me i am not the number one cj wilson fan out there but nobody can dispute facts. the guy is 9th in the a.l. in saves – cut him some slack…
rangerschick
4...
The number of blown saves he has dating back to last season when he moved into the closer’s role. People that I know close to the situation say he’s got the perfect makeup to be a star closer in baseball – he throws serious heat, he’s a lefty and he’s got the eccentric personality / wild flair normally associated with closers.
On the fielding issues of late – I would not allow him to field any ball unless it came straight to the pitcher’s mound – a bit unrealistic, I know.
Except
He doesn’t have “serious heat”. He has a good fastball, but it’s not a Papelbon-like dominating fastball or anything like that. It’s more of a weak contact-inducing fastball than a strikeout pitch.
Closers need a go-to strikeout pitch. Something that can get them out of jams. CJ has a nice assortment of pitches, but none of them are dominant pitches.
The bottom line is that I don’t trust him to come into the ninth inning of an important game where we’re up by one run and slam the door.
And what the Hell does being a lefty have to do with being a good closer? Which hand a guy throws with doesn’t matter. It’s his ability to get consistent outs that matters.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
by thedirkatron on Jun 20, 2008 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
heat
He was throwing in the upper 90s according to the radar yesterday so I would say he has some serious heat.
I agree with you about the lefty thing. Give me the pitcher that gets outs regarless of which side they throw from. Its always a kick in the crotch when people bring that up in an argument as the reason we should keep or should have kept someone
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
I think the heat is debatable
96 MPH is pretty damn good, which is what we saw yesterday. I don’t know if it’s dominant—but few times will it get hit hard, if located.
I agree that the other pitches aren’t as dominant. But they’re above-average, which suits the Siege to SP argument.
I wonder about the gyro. It must be too difficult to harness consistently.
"Typical woman. 'Give me' 'Give me' 'Give me'
I’ll give ya something.
1. A backhand
2. A stuffing
3. $500 if you promise never to post here again"
~ The Immortal, BG
by inactive lsb user on Jun 20, 2008 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Wilson
He doesn’t throw in the upper 90s. His fastball usually sits in the 91-94 range with the occasional mid 90s offering.
it hit 96 and 97 recently
I know it sits low-mid 90s but when he wants or needs he can tune it up to upper 90s
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
He doesn't throw in the upper 90s
He might hit 96 or maybe 97 on occasion but I’ve been watching him pitch in person since ‘05 and I’ve never seen him register an upper 90s fastball.
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