Good column by Richard Griffin in the Star today about the turnover in the Blue Jays bullpen the last couple of days. For those without a scorecard, Jeff Tam has finally been put down, and the Doug Davis Experiment can now go back to its proper title as a jazz ensemble. Tam was a disaster for Oakland the first part of last year before recovering himself somewhat in the second half; he might have done the same here, but JP evidently didn't feel like waiting, and I don't blame him. A disappointing stay in Toronto for Tam. As for Davis, he gave what was expected of him: journeyman performances. But let's not forget his first two starts against Anaheim, when he ate up the World Series Champions. He'll probably compete with Bruce Chen for fifth-starter spots across baseball for the next few years. It's a living.
Coming up to replace these guys are two Syracusians with major-league service time, Corey Thurman and Dan Reichert. Thurman has been in AAA most of the year, ostensibly working on a third pitch and his stamina, and the results have been just fine: 5-2, 3.95, 13 GS, 66 IP, 65 H, 21 BB, 57 K, 5 HR, 20.2% KBF. I would've preferred to see a few less baserunners, but the peripherals are pretty good. I still think he can be a useful starter in the majors, but right now, the Jays desperately need relief help, and that's where he'll start off.
Reichert, Royals followers among us will recall, was the 7th overall pick in the 1997 amateur draft who started only 35 games in the minors (with a 5.15 ERA) before being rushed to Kansas City, with predictable results. He struck out a lot of guys in Syracuse this season, but issued too many walks (3-2, 3.71, 35 G, 0 GS, 51 IP, 48 H, 34 BB, 51 K, 2 HR, 21.9% KBF). Nothing in his major-league CV (5.55 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) suggests that he'll be a panacea this time around. His presence is a combination of (a) the Jays needing fresh arms of any kind, and (b) the organization needing to know if he can help the big-league team or not; if not, adios.
The missing name here, of course, is Juan Pena, still in Syracuse although he's been throwing pretty well (outside of some control issues and one three-run dinger). I imagine he'll stay there at least till after the break, while the Jays decide what else needs to be done with their bullpen. But he's not in the organization to give the Skychiefs a closer, and he'll be up sooner rather than later.
Back in February, we feared that the acquisition of veterans or NRIs like Doug Creek (remember him?), Jeff Tam, Evan Thomas, Tim Young and Doug Linton might not pan out, and in fact that has come to pass. Only Aquilino Lopez has turned out to be a prize, and he still has to demonstrate he can get lefties out consistently. The pen was always considered the weak link in the chain, so the recent events can't really be considered a shock. But these guys did serve their purpose: they filled places while the real talent grew stronger in the minors. Jordan DeJong is now in Double-A and needs only to conquer command issues to become dominant. Adam Peterson looks to be cast into a bullpen role, and could conceivably be in Toronto as early as next fall. And who knows how fast a talent like Jamie Vermilyea might rise through the system?
Bullpen help really is on the way, though not for this year and probably not for most of next year either. But this organization is edging closer and closer to being self-sufficient, able to call up strong replacements at will. I suspect we'll look back in a few years' time on Doug Creek or Tanyon Sturtze the same way late-1980s fans looked back on Joey McLaughlin or Cryan Blark: necessary mediocrities who paved the way for better days ahead.
Coming up to replace these guys are two Syracusians with major-league service time, Corey Thurman and Dan Reichert. Thurman has been in AAA most of the year, ostensibly working on a third pitch and his stamina, and the results have been just fine: 5-2, 3.95, 13 GS, 66 IP, 65 H, 21 BB, 57 K, 5 HR, 20.2% KBF. I would've preferred to see a few less baserunners, but the peripherals are pretty good. I still think he can be a useful starter in the majors, but right now, the Jays desperately need relief help, and that's where he'll start off.
Reichert, Royals followers among us will recall, was the 7th overall pick in the 1997 amateur draft who started only 35 games in the minors (with a 5.15 ERA) before being rushed to Kansas City, with predictable results. He struck out a lot of guys in Syracuse this season, but issued too many walks (3-2, 3.71, 35 G, 0 GS, 51 IP, 48 H, 34 BB, 51 K, 2 HR, 21.9% KBF). Nothing in his major-league CV (5.55 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) suggests that he'll be a panacea this time around. His presence is a combination of (a) the Jays needing fresh arms of any kind, and (b) the organization needing to know if he can help the big-league team or not; if not, adios.
The missing name here, of course, is Juan Pena, still in Syracuse although he's been throwing pretty well (outside of some control issues and one three-run dinger). I imagine he'll stay there at least till after the break, while the Jays decide what else needs to be done with their bullpen. But he's not in the organization to give the Skychiefs a closer, and he'll be up sooner rather than later.
Back in February, we feared that the acquisition of veterans or NRIs like Doug Creek (remember him?), Jeff Tam, Evan Thomas, Tim Young and Doug Linton might not pan out, and in fact that has come to pass. Only Aquilino Lopez has turned out to be a prize, and he still has to demonstrate he can get lefties out consistently. The pen was always considered the weak link in the chain, so the recent events can't really be considered a shock. But these guys did serve their purpose: they filled places while the real talent grew stronger in the minors. Jordan DeJong is now in Double-A and needs only to conquer command issues to become dominant. Adam Peterson looks to be cast into a bullpen role, and could conceivably be in Toronto as early as next fall. And who knows how fast a talent like Jamie Vermilyea might rise through the system?
Bullpen help really is on the way, though not for this year and probably not for most of next year either. But this organization is edging closer and closer to being self-sufficient, able to call up strong replacements at will. I suspect we'll look back in a few years' time on Doug Creek or Tanyon Sturtze the same way late-1980s fans looked back on Joey McLaughlin or Cryan Blark: necessary mediocrities who paved the way for better days ahead.
