Rizzo overhauls the Nats bullpen
by Potomac Fan on Apr 20, 2009 8:17 PM EDT
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PrintAfter the disastrous showing this weekend against the Marlins, the Nats bullpen will have a much different look on Monday (thank God). Apparently Mike Rizzo couldn't take any more of it either so he shipped Saul Rivera (and C Josh Bard) to Syracuse. Steven Shell and Wil Ledezma have been designated for assignment. The organization has 10 days to trade, release or waive them.
Jordan Zimmermann, Kip Wells, Garrett Mock and Jason Bergmann will join the Nats this week. Wells will be a long reliever. Mock was the closer at Syracuse so it's possible that he might get a tryout as the Nats closer. Bergmann will be a reliever. He didn't give up a single run during the spring. The only reason he was sent down to Syracuse was because he had more minor-league options than the players who stayed on (probably Shell and Ledezma).
I'm glad that Rizzo isn't just sitting still on this situation. No one can deny that the Nats bullpen is looking awful right now, at least the back end. Joe Beimel has pitched well so far so it's not like everyone is bad. Beimel and Bergmann can solidify the bullpen. The closer may still be a problem. Maybe Manny will alternate between Hanrahan and Mock for a while. Hopefully that will work out better than just having Hanrahan as the only closer.
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they can't do any worse
thats for sure…
we need someone that can throw some gas out of the pen, colome used to bring that even if he was iffy control wise
i’d like to see jorge sosa up soon
804 Nats Fan
Over reaction on Shell!!!!! Not so on Rivera
Steve shell was outright fired and Rivera was sent to AAA. What is up with this? Saoool Rivera is 31 and has an Era over 12 and a whip over 2.5. At 31 he has just started the downside of his career and likely will never be better than he was in the past. In fact every year since 2006 his era has gone up each year. Plus to quote espn fantasy scouts “Rivera has been a busy reliever the past three seasons, throwing in 215 games — an average of 81 the past two years — and he has managed all of four saves. Rivera’s durability is clear, but his 1.45 career WHIP shows there’s not much else to like.”
Whereas Shell was a rookie last season and had an era of 2.69 in 2008. He has only pitched in 5 innings this season and his era was 5.40 (not 12). he is 27 and near the peak of his career age wise, so I see no reason why he couldn’t finish this season with very solid stats.
Why fire Shell and keep Rivera?
Hanny has cost us three wins and Saol cost us two. Shel has cost us no wins, just not helped any.
Someone is over reacting here for sure on Shell!!!
no chance Kip wells out pitches Shell this season, no chance!
"What you know is often the enemy of what you can learn" Bill James
Actually this is worse than I thought!!
I miss spoke above. Steve Shell has a career 2.41 era in ML baseball. his peripheral stats are the best of anyone on the staff last season and for his career (not that bad this season either 1.40 whip). Granted he only has 55 innings. Nonetheless, he has K’d just under one an inning and strikes out well more than 2 per walk. In fact it is my opinion that he should be the closer on this team, or almost half the teams in baseball, based on his career peripheral stats.
Hanny (Hanrahan) is no where near 2 ks per walk (144/81 career), has a career era of 4.84, has blown 6 saves and saved 10 in his career, and has and era over 7 this season. He should have been cut (if anyone!) And certainly should never ever be a closer on any team! Nearly all baseball research says that no pitcher in the history of the game has ever been successful (even average for an extended time) over a career without 2 Ks for every walk, so their is little chance Hanny will succeed long term in this game. Plus, control is mostly something a player is born with. you can improve it, but only if you throw softer, and only so much. So, the fact that he throws close to 100 MPH just makes his home runs go farther!!!
Man I hate to say this, but this team is making some very very bad decisions since Bowden left . He was bad, but this has gotten worse. You do not fire a 27 year old guy with a career 2.41 era after his 5th inning of the season!!! Particularly if you have pitching problems! This team decision was just reactionary, childishly impatient, and awful.
Shawn Hill will win 15 for the Padres and post an ERA bellow 4.00 this season if his pitches are kept reasonable and Shell should be closing on this team right now!!!!!
"What you know is often the enemy of what you can learn" Bill James
Two points on sample size and other stats:
- You keep talking about Shell’s and his great career numbers, but the guy’s major league career is half a season, and that’s really not enough to draw conclusions from.
- A lot of Hanrahan’s career numbers are influenced by stuff that isn’t really relevant any more, like his 2007 season when he was a starter.
- It doesn’t make sense to call for Hanrahan’s head at this point. The season is young. Very young. Like seven percent over young. Dan Uggla’s hitting .227 with two home runs. Brad Lidge’s ERA is 9.45. Jimmy Rollins is hitting .152. Prince Fielder’s hitting ~.150 with one home run.
I agree it is to soon to call for anyones head
But heads rolled and Shell makes zero sense. Shell has 55 innings to his credit.. that is just under one season of work for a reliever. He career era is 2.41 (counting this season). Certainly 5 innings into the season cutting him was real bad idea.
As for Hanny, control is control and Hanny has had little of it as a reliever or as a starter. But, more telling is that he has only 10 saves while blowing 6 saves. I have read that in the history of baseball, for guys called closers typically over 80% of the time they get a save. Replacement level closer save roughly 75-80%. Hanny is at .625%. Almost anyone who ever pitched in the game could do as well or better than that. He blew a 3 run save the other day. That is godawful. 99% of all guys can save a 3 run lead!
So although cutting anyone at this point is way to premature, if you were going to cut someone, why not cut the guy who sucks, and not they guy who has yet to suck for any period of time.
"What you know is often the enemy of what you can learn" Bill James
But, more telling is that he has only 10 saves while blowing 6 saves. I have read that in the history of baseball, for guys called closers typically over 80% of the time they get a save. Replacement level closer save roughly 75-80%. Hanny is at .625%.
My understanding is that blown saves can get credited even in non-save situations, i.e. when a hold would be awarded for a successful inning, and I think that’s hurt Hanrahan. Last year he was 8-for-11, still not great but decent enough for an extended chance given where the team is right now.
So although cutting anyone at this point is way to premature, if you were going to cut someone, why not cut the guy who sucks, and not they guy who has yet to suck for any period of time.
Shell was cut – he was demoted, which is a pretty different animal. I think Hanrahan is out of minor league options, and Shell is not, so that may have been a factor.
On Steven Shell
I was surprised that Shell was designated for assignment too. I don’t understand that decision. Bergmann probably shouldn’t have been sent down to Syracuse at all, not with the quality innings he pitched this spring. So what if he had more options than one of the other guys? He pitched well so the organization should have kept him on the big-league team.
Awful news about Beimel getting injured while making a good fielding play on a bunt. Hopefully he’ll heal up pretty fast. He’s going to be a very important part of the bullpen this year.
Why did they bring Rivera back so soon? Isn’t there anyone else at Syracuse who deserves a closer look? We already know that Rivera is struggling. Let him work out his problems in the minors. If he can’t figure it out, then leave him there and find some other reliever with more promise.
Rizzo does not like Shell's aura......... And, Saul was available immediately because he hadn't left town yet.
Rizzo was asked today about the decision to designate Steven Shell.
“I just didn’t like the way he was performing,” Rizzo said. “I didn’t like the mindset on the mound and off the mound and the preparation for the game and just the whole aura behind him on the mound.”
"...the bases loaded failures were the reason, the only reason..."
"Let's just move back to Montreal and forget the last 5 years ever
happened"............- e chigliak
by cat daddy3000 on Apr 22, 2009 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions
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