Sunday, November 19, 2006
SPEIER. BUTCHER.
Fox Sports is reporting that we have signed former Toronto reliever Justin Speier to a four-year deal worth $18 million.
Speier has been a good reliever, putting up ERA+ marks of 124, 173, and 158 the last three years, with good strikeout-to-walk ratios. He has been a bit homer-happy, but has been reasonably effective overall. He'll fit into the seventh inning mix, and though he's certainly a step or two below Scot Shields, we desperately need someone who can help take the pressure (and exorbitant innings) from Shields' arm.
So while I like the acquisition, I don't know if I like the signing. Four years? The guy's about to turn 33, and I don't really envision him being a huge part of our bullpen in the year 2010. We saw Brendan Donnelly fall of the cliff from excellence to decency at age 34, and his immediately recent track record was better than Speier's.
Overseeing Speier's attempt to continue his productivity will be new pitching coach Mike Butcher, who was a our minor league pitching instructor for many years before following Joe Maddon to Tampa Bay. I consider this a pleasant surprise; I'd have thought Butcher would have stayed with Joe, and wasn't really a possibility for us. He knows our guys and our staff, so this is as good a match as I would have imagined.
Fox Sports is reporting that we have signed former Toronto reliever Justin Speier to a four-year deal worth $18 million.
Speier has been a good reliever, putting up ERA+ marks of 124, 173, and 158 the last three years, with good strikeout-to-walk ratios. He has been a bit homer-happy, but has been reasonably effective overall. He'll fit into the seventh inning mix, and though he's certainly a step or two below Scot Shields, we desperately need someone who can help take the pressure (and exorbitant innings) from Shields' arm.
So while I like the acquisition, I don't know if I like the signing. Four years? The guy's about to turn 33, and I don't really envision him being a huge part of our bullpen in the year 2010. We saw Brendan Donnelly fall of the cliff from excellence to decency at age 34, and his immediately recent track record was better than Speier's.
Overseeing Speier's attempt to continue his productivity will be new pitching coach Mike Butcher, who was a our minor league pitching instructor for many years before following Joe Maddon to Tampa Bay. I consider this a pleasant surprise; I'd have thought Butcher would have stayed with Joe, and wasn't really a possibility for us. He knows our guys and our staff, so this is as good a match as I would have imagined.
Labels: Brendan Donnelly, Justin Speier, Mike Butcher, pitching coach
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
BUD BLACK: GONE
Yeah, I'm back, but Bud Black is gone, off to manage the San Diego Padres.
I don't know what to make of this; the Angel ERA, with Buddy here, has ranked ninth (2000), fifth (2001), second (you get the idea), sixth, fourth, third, and third in the league. That's a pretty impressive track record, considering the team never ranked better than fifth in the 1995-1999 period, falling all the way to thirteenth in 1996. In fact, the second-place finish in 2002 was the best showing the Angel staff had since the 1991 team (also second), which at 81-81 and with a rotation spearheaded by Chuck Finley, Mark Langston, and Jim Abbott was probably the best last-place team ever, and possibly the best pitching staff a last-place team has had.
I honestly don't know how much difference a good pitching coach makes, but we can't really fault Bud Black for his service to our team. Losing coaches like Joe Maddon and Bud Black to managerial jobs is a price of success; as with Joe, I wish Buddy the best, and hope we can find a suitable replacement.
Yeah, I'm back, but Bud Black is gone, off to manage the San Diego Padres.
I don't know what to make of this; the Angel ERA, with Buddy here, has ranked ninth (2000), fifth (2001), second (you get the idea), sixth, fourth, third, and third in the league. That's a pretty impressive track record, considering the team never ranked better than fifth in the 1995-1999 period, falling all the way to thirteenth in 1996. In fact, the second-place finish in 2002 was the best showing the Angel staff had since the 1991 team (also second), which at 81-81 and with a rotation spearheaded by Chuck Finley, Mark Langston, and Jim Abbott was probably the best last-place team ever, and possibly the best pitching staff a last-place team has had.
I honestly don't know how much difference a good pitching coach makes, but we can't really fault Bud Black for his service to our team. Losing coaches like Joe Maddon and Bud Black to managerial jobs is a price of success; as with Joe, I wish Buddy the best, and hope we can find a suitable replacement.
Labels: Bud Black, Joe Maddon, pitching coach
