Cormier, once ace of the Alabama Crimson Tide and your blogger’s neighbor, has terrible Major League stats. I mean, they’re just awful. His ERA is 6.21, he walks nearly five men per nine innings, his strikeout rate is at best mediocre, and he allows lots of homers. I’m looking for a plus, and I’m just not finding one. All I can say is that his 5.11 ERA last season is a whole lot better than his 8.14 ERA in 2004. How’s this? If he makes similar improvements the next two seasons, he will actually give up negative runs in 2007. I am not optimistic.
Looked at overall, Cormier’s stats are unpromising. However, his season had its high notes. He didn’t allow a run until his thirteenth appearance of the season, and had a 1.67 ERA with seven holds, no blown saves, on June 9. He may have been overworked (at least, some DBacks fans say he was) as they didn’t have any other reliable relievers. ERAs by month: 0.00, 2.76, 4.50, 7.11, 10.93, 3.86, so he did at least pitch okay in September. And his minor league stats (in hitter’s parks) are excellent; he put up ERAs in Tucson of 2.60 and 2.68 in 2003 and 2004.
I don’t understand the minor league service time rules that govern whether a player can be optioned out. Cormier may have a year left, in which case he’ll probably start at Richmond. His ability to consistently get Major League hitters out is questionable, but if he starts there he’ll probably come up sooner or later.
If he had gone to Tennessee, well he would probably not be any better.
But on a positive note he has batted .286 ….. perhaps we should use him at 1B rather that LaRoche
They could be the first pitcher/first base double platoon.
Ok my PR teacher just told me there is a deal in the works between the Braves, Dodgers, and the A’s
ATL gets-Gagne, Jose Cruz,Delwyn Young,Jay Witasick and Dan Johnson
LA gets- Zito, LaRoche, Little John S.
OAK gets-Chuck James,Bret Tomko,Langerhans,Brian Pena and Choi
SHOOOO!
(I have my doubts as to whether this will post properly, but here goes)
I think the overusage angle has some legs. Here are the Arizona relief leaders by Innings Pitched for each month.
APRIL
Mike Koplove 14.2
Brian Bruney 13.1
Brandon Lyon 13.0
Lance Cormier 9.0
Great post, Cary. It’s good to have some depth going into Spring Training, even if it’s with a bunch of younger arms that are at least live. We should feel a little better with this year’s group than with the guys that were run out there last Spring.
So whats with Bama stealing Cajun kids from south Louisiana away from LSU to close for the tide? First Cormeir now Wade LeBlanc.
Add Papelbon (miss st) to the list of cajun college closers from south louisiana that shouldve gone to LSU
just an observation
That deal is ABSURD. The Braves get the MLs BEST closer, a strong 2B prospect (not sure how to adjust for park effects, but Delwyn has an OPS around .850 throughout his minor league career, and he’s just 23 in AAA ball), an upgrade at 1B, and ANOTHER decent reliever, all for LaRoche, Langy, Pena, Little John S, and Chuck James?! Sure, James is good, but you’re asking the Dogers to give up ERIC GAGNE for Zito, LaRoche, and a down-grade in 2B prospects? Meanwhile, OAK loses Dan Johnson, Barry Zito, and two decent bullpen guys in Cruz and Witasik for, what, Chuck James? Sure, James is good, but he’s not that good. 🙂 I mean, Baseball America has him as far back as the third-best arm in the Braves system.
That said, the Braves would obviously be addressing a need by getting an established closer, and they did draft Young twice before the Dodgers took him in the 4th round a few years ago. The Dodgers would also be strengthening their starting pitching and upgrading at 1B while at the same time distancing themselves further from the DePodesta era. Still, I can’t see them giving up Gagne without getting more bullpen help in return.
What really doesn’t make sense is why the As would want another middling SP (Tomko) and why they would want to move Johnson for Choi. Also, they DEFINITELY don’t need another OF in Langerhans. It just seems like there is a lot of needless confusion happening here. I suppose I could concieve of a deal centering around a James-for-Zito-for-Gagne swap, but why do the 1B move as well? Aren’t the Braves already giving up the least in James? The 2B prospect swap is also kind of silly from the Dodgers’ perspective, and what does Oakland need with all of those spare parts? I just don’t see this thing happening.
mraver, I believe you just spent to much time disecting one of Smitty’s rumors!
Yeah dude, he just makes those up to entertain. I mean, they’re fun to look at it, but even he admits they’re completely fabricated…
For mraver’s pleasure, here’s another entirely fictional trade rumor:
WAS gets: James Loney, Adam LaRoche, Chuck James
SFG gets: Joel Guzman, Jose Vidro, Lance Cormier
ATL gets: Chad Cordero
LAD gets: Barry Bonds
“Yeah dude, he just makes those up to entertain. I mean, they’re fun to look at it, but even he admits they’re completely fabricated…”
Oh i tohught his barber was also Billy Beanes barber…
No way man, I’m not giving up LaRoche AND Cormier unless we get Soriano, too (you know, to stick in the OF). 🙂
My barber’s cousin’s ex-wife’s dog’s groomer heard this rumor from his pedicurist’s son’s parole officer:
STL gets: Adam Laroche, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus
HOU gets: Kyle Davies, Adam Wainwright
SFG gets: Kelly Johnson, Chuck James, Brandon Jones
ATL gets: Barry Bonds, Brad Lidge, Albert Pujols
OMG! I am NOT moving from second base.
NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT!
i just heard the braves are making a deal with the city of miami.
the braves get: Pat Riley’s hair to be made into a toupee for Smoltz, the Orange Bowl game moved to the Georgia Dome (to further the quest to have every bowl game played there), and first dibs on the Marlins next fire sale.
miami gets: the Ted & the Big Chicken
Smitty, I’m afraid Houston gets sort of hosed in that deal; I think we’d better throw in Brian Jordan and Brayan Pena for them.
Check out the link below. Carlos Beltran beat Carlos Delgado in a homerun derby. The weird thing is they apparently used aluminum bats. I’d like to see how far Delgado could hit one with an aluminum bat.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2312498
I wouldn’t want to be the pitcher.
I’d want [NAME DELETED] to be the pitcher, though.
I remember Pete and Skip talking a few years back about Andruw and Javy taking BP with aluminum bats and how far they were launching them.
Alphonso — Love your e-mail address.
Ehh. Jokes aside, that post started as one paragraph, then I just kinda moved on to the second, and before I knew it, it had snowballed into three…. I’m in “writing thesis” mode, so that kind of thing just happens. :-p
I know the Alabama Crimson Tide is very famous for its football. You know there is a movie, Crimson Tide. I remember a friend of mine like Denzel Washington when I was in college. I had little knowledge of it , not before. At first, I made a guess you’re living in Atlanta, Georgia. Well,,,,I’ve committed a fault “fallacy of hasty genenralization” and throw out a prejudice. Ignorance breeds prejudice. Right? BY the way, The data indicates that he is not special. Why did he come to the Braves? Do you have any idea, country baby?:p
The Braves saw something they liked in him when they traded Estrada, I guess. They’re just collecting pitchers and hoping some of them work out.