A case for Jimmy Gobble

by clark on Mar 19, 2009 11:16 PM CDT

Jimmy Gobble's numbers last year were ugly. 8.81 ERA, 27:23 K:BB ratio, 1.96 WHIP. On the surface, he seems like the sort of pitcher this team should stay away from. But looking a little deeper, he could be exactly who this team needs.

I have recently opined at length about our bullpen, and it was admittedly mostly fretting. Frankie is a lock in the 9th inning role, and Wilson will hopefully return to be the 8th inning guy. If his blister problems linger, it's looking like two of Turnbow, Eyre, or Madrigal would be asked to step into the 7th and 8th inning roles. The long reliever will be either Nippert or Rupe. What the bullpen currently lacks is a loogy.

As horrible as Gobble was last year, he was pretty dominant against lefties. His BAA vs lefties was .200, vs righties it was .382. His OPS against vs lefties was .580, vs righties it was 1.193. His K:BB was 18:4 vs lefties, 9:19 vs righties. He is the textbook definition of a loogy, and he can be had for next to nothing. With the current instability among our crop of bullpen lefties, he seems like exactly the sort of player to take a chance on.

Tweet Comment 20 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

huh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3lUscxJi88

I don't get it, why would life give me lemons?

by iorange555 on Mar 19, 2009 11:46 PM CDT reply actions

I'll be singing this in my head

for the next week. ABBA has that affect.

"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."

by scoop16 on Mar 19, 2009 11:59 PM CDT up reply actions

eddie guardado

won’t make the team? sure, his splits aren’t that pronounced but he actually got both righties and lefties out well enough last year, so he could pitch to more than one guy!

by reagan on Mar 20, 2009 12:00 AM CDT reply actions

guardardo

has only pitched three times this spring and has looked very poor in those outings. last i heard he was having some shoulder issues. i would think a plan b might be in order. i had suggested someone like Corey Young could possibly be a dark horse candidate, but i believe it was goyogringo who suggested the team is much more likely to look for external help rather than rush someone like Young.

by clark on Mar 20, 2009 12:08 AM CDT up reply actions

that's too bad

because that guy has personality.

by reagan on Mar 20, 2009 12:19 AM CDT up reply actions

the name's enough for me

I’m sold

"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"

by Walter Sobchak on Mar 20, 2009 12:09 AM CDT reply actions

it is a pretty good name

for a loogy. and he is pretty tall and goofy looking. he belongs in a bullpen.

by clark on Mar 20, 2009 12:13 AM CDT up reply actions

Yep, I brought this up in the GDT yesterday and over at HWC

He fits the profile of one of JD’s scrap heap projects. He wouldn’t be as good as Will Ohman, but I think the Rangers would be more likely to go after Gobble than Ohman.

Now blogging again (temporarily) at "Hello Win Column".

by LSJ on Mar 20, 2009 12:16 AM CDT reply actions

Ohman

reportedly wants 1.75 M guaranteed with another 1 M in incentives, and he would prefer to pitch on the West Coast (wouldn’t we all).

Gobble can be had for half of that and is just as likely to put up solid numbers if used correctly.

by clark on Mar 20, 2009 9:27 AM CDT up reply actions

gobble

is he a FA now?

Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.

by knockoutking on Mar 20, 2009 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions

he was placed on waivers

for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. so he only costs a waiver claim. however, he was arb eligible and I think he signed a 1.35M contract for this year, so the Royals are still on the hook for 225k of that (one sixth). if he slips through waivers, I would think another team could sign him for the minimum, but I’m not sure how these things work…

by clark on Mar 20, 2009 10:10 AM CDT up reply actions

If he's released...

After clearing waivers of course, the signing team would be on the hook for the minimum, and KC for the termination pay they’re already paying. His contract was apparently not guaranteed.

by Andy Seiler on Mar 20, 2009 7:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Rangers almost had Gobble once upon a time

for Juan Gonzalez

Serenity now, insanity later.

-Lloyd Braun

by Kevin McBrayer on Mar 20, 2009 1:22 AM CDT reply actions

I remembered Gobble trade talks

I just couldn’t remember who was the Ranger involved. Gobble was a very highly rated prospect IIRC.

Gobble was pretty good in 07, and for some reason all the projection systems on fangraphs seem to see a pretty nice bounceback season for him. His walk rate shot threw the roof last season and it looks to me like that was his biggest problem.

He’ll be 27/28 this season, plenty of relievers never really find themselves until around that age. I think it is pretty important for the Rangers to have a middle inning guy that can come in to face a lefty or two 3-4 times a week, and I share the skepticism that Guardado has anything left in the tank. I also don’t see any other internal candidates for that limited role.

As usual, this is a pretty solid idea by clark.

Doctor please. Some more of these.

by tricer on Mar 20, 2009 5:47 AM CDT up reply actions

very highly rated SP prospect in the KC system

great post by clark

Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.

by knockoutking on Mar 20, 2009 7:41 AM CDT up reply actions

thanks guys.

by clark on Mar 20, 2009 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions

I believe

That was the year that Palmeiro invoked his NTC in a deal to the Cubs and Juando either was going to invoke his NTC or has already but then got hurt making it moot.

Serenity now, insanity later.

-Lloyd Braun

by Kevin McBrayer on Mar 20, 2009 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions