Regardless, I still have his WBC performance on DVR and he looked awesome. If we think he can do that for 6+ innings, go for it. If we think he could do that, consistently, for 2 innings I say fast-track him to the bigs.

It is a bit funny to consider given how our pen has looked in the past, but we could have a pen filled with guys who throw absolute smoke in the next year or two.

Boggs
Motte (although I have fallen off him a ton)
Sanchez
Ottavino
Samuel
Reifer

etc.

Heck, maybe Kelly could join that list with a big year this year.

The exciting thing about that list, however, is that, with the exception of Motte, all of them have legitimate if not plus secondary pitches.

Someone will seize the set-up role this year and become our next ‘closer of the future’. That is a nice chunk of bullpen talent.

Of course, toss in qualified non-gassers such as Walters and Hawk and McClellan and Salas and Parise, etc., and we have plenty of real, honest options.

I think we simply have better options for the rotation and McClellan has experience in high-leverage roles in the pen. Seems simple to me.

Hill gets the 5th spot if he earns it. After him, I think Boggs and Garcia have the upper hand, but Hawk, Walters, McClellan, and I guess Jukich have a shot.

Garcia dominated when he came back last season and has had months to get even better (in terms of shape). I don’t agree at all with the belief that he needs to be in AAA to build up “arm strength”. If he DOES, we have more serious problems with him.

I see no reason for Boggs to truck it back to Memphis, but I am intrigued by his upside as a late inning reliever (which I think is higher than Motte’s).

I expect big things from Ottavino this season….but for different reasons than CC. I think he becomes a reliever and blows people away (a la Venezuela in the WBC).

I wish we had another experienced late inning guy, but I am not overly worried about it. We have a TON of pitching options this year. So many, in fact, that we may see quite the revolving door between STL and Memphis this year.

I already listed the seemingly dozen 5th starter options (none of which are really a stretch at all). If the pen falters, in addition to some of those 5th starter candidates, we also have people like Sanchez and Parise (and, Ottavino, Salas, Samuel, etc.) that are legitimate options.

Found the tidbit that the Twins would have a higher payroll than the Dodgers this year quite interesting.

And just when was the last time DDuncan drooled over a rookie befoer the start of the season?

“The Sox were concerned enough about the wear and tear on Lackey’s elbow to warrant contract protection. They did it in a very creative manner, which was subject to the approval of Major League Baseball and the Players Association, and as a result, Lackey would have to play for the major league minimum if he undergoes Tommy John surgery at any time during the five years.”

Too many redheads here for me. We still need a manly man, with a big hammer to lead that rabble.
If they start squatting in April, and Tony tries to win by whipping his starters, this isn’t going to end well. I see us in 3rd at the end of April at this point.

the two new lhp’s hill and jukich will be given a real strong chance to make the 25man.
if both succeed, k-mac back to the setup role; franklin, k-mac, hawks, motte, miller, reyes and jukich. pushing boggs back to closer at aaa, learning how to get lhb’s out.

if hill doesn’t make the 25man, k-mac as the 5th SP role and boggs makes the pen as a roogy with hawks taking k-mac’s setup role, with hawks ability to get both lh and rhb’s out.

At the WWU Mo did say something about looking to the AA roster. Maybe we are not looking in the right place for who will be the 5th by the end of the year. I’d have to agree they don’t seem exactly giddy about Garcia. PJ is seen as a fizzle.

Mac and Boggs both are timid about coming inside so they end up getting too much of the plate. So they end up just working the outside corner. MLB hitters smell that fear and step into it without fear of taking one in the ear hole. Haven’t seen Garcia yet, but I’m guessing he’s the same. Howk was the only one they weren’t stepping into, which is probably why he will be needed as the go to righty in the pen.

If you think about it……..dumping the eggs last year was a gesture born of more than just a desire to make the playoffs.

To me a more interesting angle is who is our #5 starter at the end of the season rather than the beginning. Does Garcia go to Memphis and then move in to the role? Does no one step up and we have to make a trade? I’m out on a limb saying it will be Ottavino (not expecting a lot of people to join me on the bandwagon).

Wish I would have been there BB. Tofu kabobs………yum.

Yesterday, as we do every year, we had a BBQ in honor of Henry Aaron’s birthday. Got a few flurries. There have been years one of my sons had to shovel a path out to the BBQ pit. My dad brings over his autographed ball that he got signed in 1957 a few weeks before Aaron won the MVP. We used to get some guys together and put away 44 beers, but the wives put a stop to that awhile back.

It takes a special mind set to pitch in a rotation. If they were serious about him as a starter, they would have picked up another arm. The downside is, if he fails as at starter (10/1) does the damage he takes make him less effective in an attempt return to the Pen. Kid’s got good stuff. He doesn’t have the intangibles to survive in prolonged battles in my opinion, and I’m afraid oats will be in short s after feeding the war horse already in the stable. Wainwright almost came up lame early last year trying to stay in step with Carp and Lohsie. That type of stress is what caused his finger injury in 08………………………………….. this hasn’t come up yet, but if K-Mac shows well in ST, he becomes trade worthy in an organization the hoards cash like ST Louis. As a perfectly selfish though, a trade would work for me………kid has a glass jaw.

The braintrust should know by the end of March if he has what it takes to be a good starter. If he can’t do it then that could be the end of the discussion, if he is close maybe a month in Memphis is a good idea or maybe he does enough in March that he is in the rotation when the team heads north.

I don’t remember the history of Welleymyer’s conversion. Was it just an in season thing or did he spend time starting AAA that first year he started?

I think this is the answer.
He had 11 starts with the Cards after being acquired from KC in 2007. One start at Springfield before joining the big boys, but he started quite a bit (99 starts) most of his minor league career.

A lot rests on Hill. If he pitches well, he could get the first shot. However, if Hill is lousy during spring training, then he lands at Memphis, and maybe McClellan will instead get the first shot.
If Hill earns the 5th slot in spring training, he will have to audition to keep the job with every start during April/May.
Garcia can pitch at Memphis and be readied to replace Hill or McClellan, if either falters.