I was surprised when the Brewers signed LaTroy Hawkins to a 2 year deal worth $7.5 million dollars. Multiyear deals for relievers tend to come back and hamper the team in the long run, kind of like David Riske’s contract (3 years, $13 million) that he hasn't lived up to. After one mediocre season, he's currently on the DL rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He's trying to come back and pitch in 2010, the final year of his contract. Most relievers are (and should be) given a 1 year deal because the bullpen is often a revolving door. Here is the list of relievers used out of the bullpen last season – Todd Coffey, Carlos Villanueva, Seth McClung, Trevor Hoffman, Mark DiFelice, Chris Smith, Mitch Stetter, Claudio Vargas, Chris Narveson, David Weathers, Jorge Julio, Mike Burns, John Axford, RJ Swindle, Jesus Colome, Tim Dillard, Josh Butler, Dave Bush and David Riske. I know that's a long list, and I could have just said that we used 19 different pitchers, but I was trying to prove my point.The first couple you probably remember because they stayed on the major league team for the entire season and had an impact on the team’s overall success. But some of those guys (like RJ Swindle and Jesus Colome) did not, so they weren’t around for long. And once the 25-man roster is set and the starters have been named, there's sure to be a couple of names on the Opening Day roster who will not be on that list when the season ends in October. Yeah you heard me, I said October. That's because the Brewers are making it back to the playoffs. But I will say how deep they are going in the playoffs, because there's so many factors that are going to go into determining that. But once again I'm off subject. You can tell I don't know shit about LaTroy Hawkins.
So at first the Hawkins deal looks like a bit of a question mark, considering that he is 37 years old. But the more that you look at it, the more that it makes sense. Then it hit me – LaTroy Hawkins is insurance in case something happens to Trevor Hoffman. I pray to God that it doesn’t, but the main focus of the offseason was pitching depth. Hawkins does have closing experience, and has 87 career saves. Compare that to the other backup closers Coffey (11) and Villanueva (5) and you can see that he is the obvious choice to come in the 9th should Hoffman be overworked or (heaven forbid) be injured. By signing him to a 2 year deal, you keep him around for next year in case you can’t find another closer on the free agent market or if one of the minor league pitchers being groomed to be the major league closer (like John Axford) isn’t ready yet. Whichever scenario plays out, it will be good to have another veteran arm in the bullpen whether he is setting up or closing.
LaTroy Hawkins career statistics aren’t the greatest (4.51 ERA, 60-81 record) but that is skewed by his ineffectiveness as a starter (6.11 career ERA) but then improved when he made the move to the bullpen (3.29 career ERA as a reliever). He seems to be getting better with age, and he vastly improved in the past few years. Last year he really shined (2.13 ERA with 11 saves) and was given a nice contract by the Brewers after coming off a big year. Just like Randy Wolf. And just like I said about Wolf’s contract, I hope Hawkins’ doesn’t come back to haunt us later this year or the next. But $3.75 million per year isn’t a whole lot to pay for a pitcher of his caliber, even if the rap sheet on him is that he leaves the ball up sometimes and is prone to giving up homeruns. But if there was one thing that I heard during Macha’s press conferences last year was that all of the Brewers pitchers left the ball up in the zone, hence the high ERAs. That is where new pitching coach Rick Peterson comes in. He has the monumental task of improving the pitching staff top to bottom, and if he can work with Hawkins and keep him on the track he's been on in the last few years, it won't be hard to imagine this line for 2010:
So at first the Hawkins deal looks like a bit of a question mark, considering that he is 37 years old. But the more that you look at it, the more that it makes sense. Then it hit me – LaTroy Hawkins is insurance in case something happens to Trevor Hoffman. I pray to God that it doesn’t, but the main focus of the offseason was pitching depth. Hawkins does have closing experience, and has 87 career saves. Compare that to the other backup closers Coffey (11) and Villanueva (5) and you can see that he is the obvious choice to come in the 9th should Hoffman be overworked or (heaven forbid) be injured. By signing him to a 2 year deal, you keep him around for next year in case you can’t find another closer on the free agent market or if one of the minor league pitchers being groomed to be the major league closer (like John Axford) isn’t ready yet. Whichever scenario plays out, it will be good to have another veteran arm in the bullpen whether he is setting up or closing.
LaTroy Hawkins career statistics aren’t the greatest (4.51 ERA, 60-81 record) but that is skewed by his ineffectiveness as a starter (6.11 career ERA) but then improved when he made the move to the bullpen (3.29 career ERA as a reliever). He seems to be getting better with age, and he vastly improved in the past few years. Last year he really shined (2.13 ERA with 11 saves) and was given a nice contract by the Brewers after coming off a big year. Just like Randy Wolf. And just like I said about Wolf’s contract, I hope Hawkins’ doesn’t come back to haunt us later this year or the next. But $3.75 million per year isn’t a whole lot to pay for a pitcher of his caliber, even if the rap sheet on him is that he leaves the ball up sometimes and is prone to giving up homeruns. But if there was one thing that I heard during Macha’s press conferences last year was that all of the Brewers pitchers left the ball up in the zone, hence the high ERAs. That is where new pitching coach Rick Peterson comes in. He has the monumental task of improving the pitching staff top to bottom, and if he can work with Hawkins and keep him on the track he's been on in the last few years, it won't be hard to imagine this line for 2010:3.23 ERA, 4-2 record, 5 saves, 45 strikeouts and a better understanding to the fans of Milwaukee of what kind of pitcher he is.
Remember how I said that relievers tend to come and go so fast that you forget that they even pitched for you team? That's why I don't have a jersey of any relief pitcher from the Brewers. I will soon be getting a Trevor Hoffman because the guy is a future Hall of Famer, and a throwback Rollie Fingers (Brewers closer from 1981-1985) would be awesome, but a Todd Coffey jersey would be amazing. That's because from the moment he arrived in Milwaukee in September of 2008 he instantly became a fan favorite when he sprinted out of the bullpen and into their hearts. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!
- pookon -
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com
1 comment:
Hawkins is gonna hold it down for real.
moe.
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