Mets Sign Bobby Livingston to a Minor League Deal

minus santana

but what about the great knuckleballer RA Dickey? he’s got to be in this rotation too!

while Livingston was never really a good prosect, injuries really haven’t help[ed him the past two years as he did have a pretty good 2007. Also, he made a poor decision to go by Bobby instead of his birth giving name of Robert James Livingston.

of finesse pitchers at Buffalo.

And they love Niese. CHONE projects both to have better FIPs that Pelfrey, Maine or Perez in roughly the same inning totals as Maine or Perez.

livingston holds the major league record for hits in a game by a pitcher (4 hits and an rbi to boot, on July 16, 2007)

in checking up on this guy it seems we’ve stumbled onto a bit of a controversial prospect in that he was a 4th rounder (in ‘01), has impeccable command and gets guys out even at the highest levels of the minors but lacks the kind of stuff that makes you think ’major league starter’. sounds very much like a young jamie moyer to me, which isn’t necessarily a compliment in that moyer is one of the biggest aberrations i’ve ever seen.

here’s what Baseball America wrote about him back in ’06:

“…Scouts remain skeptical as to whether Livingston can succeed in the majors. At times the fastball (usually in the 86-87 mph range) drops to 82-85 mph, though he enhances it with good sink and even better command. No pitcher in the Mariners system locates his pitches as well as Livingston. He also throws a curveball and a changeup, and he’ll also use a cutter against righthanders. None of his pitches are close to special but he’s a strike machine with tremendous feel for his craft… "

John Sickels said in that same year:

“A classic finesse southpaw, Bobby Livingston passed his Double-A Finesse Pitcher Acid Test without trouble in 2005, using the same "change speeds, throw strikes, and make hitters look stupid approach he used to good efect in A-Ball…As finesse lefties go, Livingston has a lot to offer. He keeps the ball low in the strike zone, making him less vulnerable to the home run than many similar pitchers. He’s been quite durable so far, eating innings without indigestion. Scouts praise his work ethic and understanding of the mound craft. Doubts remain about his long-term future, because Livingston’s best fastball is 87 mph. It looks faster than that do to the contrast with his breaking pitches and changeups, but his margin for error is small and always will be. He will need a good defense behind him in order to thrive, and a bit of luck as well. But as this class of pitcher goes, I think Livingston has a chance to be very good. Grade B- "

after reading that stuff, i don’t mind having him in the system. now do i think he can serve the potential LOOGY role that we probably brought him in for? no probably not, sounds like he needs to start and lull hitters to sleep a la Moyer. and between now and ‘06 he has also suffered a torn labrum and has had resulting shoulder problems but he has come back and pitched to similar good results at AAA so again, i don’t mind having him in the system.

By July, this is your 2010 Mets rotation