01-24-2009, 06:09 PM
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->This week, the Cubs learned Carlos Marmol was pitching in the Dominican Republic, working feverishly to ready himself to pitch for his country in the World Baseball Classic.
Wonderful. Here's a 26-year-old with dazzling talent, a kid who fanned a third of the batters he faced last year, and with Kerry Wood gone to Cleveland and Ryan Dempster an All-Star in the Cubs' rotation is supposed to be the closer for a Cubs team whose expectations are to go farther than the first round of the 2009 playoffs. Marmol is heating up in January while pitching in the Dominican League playoffs, then he's going to go to spring training and slow it down, then turn it up again in the WBC, return to spring training and slow it down, then head north and be expected to be a shutdown closer beginning on Opening Day.
Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. And there is a full season ahead.
Davey Johnson was always a terrific pitchers' manager, and there have been fewer more diligent and responsible pitching coaches than Marcel Lachemann, and anyone who pitches for Team USA knows they will be in trusted hands. General managers and club officials have been warned not to complain about the dangers of this tournament, but virtually everyone in the industry is afraid of it.
"We've tried to discourage pitchers as much as we can," one general manager says. "But Major League Baseball wants this to succeed. The Players Association has worked very hard with MLB to make this work and has exerted pressure on the players. But we're trying to build a pitching staff that wins in September and October, and having pitchers get ready to compete a month early may lead to some issues that determine the winning and losing of the pennant."
"What worries me is that some of these physical problems will show up in May, June or July," one pitching coach says.
The Mets are most concerned about J.J. Putz.
Look, the WBC is a great event -- the cooperation and creativity of the Commissioner's Office and Players Association, the passion, and the contrast in baseball cultures are fascinating. Some of us have spent 20 years trying to figure out the right time for the event to take place and have never come up with an answer.
So there are risks, and if a Jake Peavy or John Lackey or Francisco Rodriguez or Carlos Marmol is hurting in May or September, then there may have to be a lot more thought that goes into the next time the event is held.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wonderful. Here's a 26-year-old with dazzling talent, a kid who fanned a third of the batters he faced last year, and with Kerry Wood gone to Cleveland and Ryan Dempster an All-Star in the Cubs' rotation is supposed to be the closer for a Cubs team whose expectations are to go farther than the first round of the 2009 playoffs. Marmol is heating up in January while pitching in the Dominican League playoffs, then he's going to go to spring training and slow it down, then turn it up again in the WBC, return to spring training and slow it down, then head north and be expected to be a shutdown closer beginning on Opening Day.
Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. And there is a full season ahead.
Davey Johnson was always a terrific pitchers' manager, and there have been fewer more diligent and responsible pitching coaches than Marcel Lachemann, and anyone who pitches for Team USA knows they will be in trusted hands. General managers and club officials have been warned not to complain about the dangers of this tournament, but virtually everyone in the industry is afraid of it.
"We've tried to discourage pitchers as much as we can," one general manager says. "But Major League Baseball wants this to succeed. The Players Association has worked very hard with MLB to make this work and has exerted pressure on the players. But we're trying to build a pitching staff that wins in September and October, and having pitchers get ready to compete a month early may lead to some issues that determine the winning and losing of the pennant."
"What worries me is that some of these physical problems will show up in May, June or July," one pitching coach says.
The Mets are most concerned about J.J. Putz.
Look, the WBC is a great event -- the cooperation and creativity of the Commissioner's Office and Players Association, the passion, and the contrast in baseball cultures are fascinating. Some of us have spent 20 years trying to figure out the right time for the event to take place and have never come up with an answer.
So there are risks, and if a Jake Peavy or John Lackey or Francisco Rodriguez or Carlos Marmol is hurting in May or September, then there may have to be a lot more thought that goes into the next time the event is held.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is not some silly theory that's unsupported and deserves being mocked by photos of Xena. ![[Image: ITgoyeg.png]](http://i.imgur.com/ITgoyeg.png)