Rydin' Ruff in the Buffalo....Rotation?
by Mark Himmelstein on Feb 24, 2010 7:00 AM EST
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According to minor league Field Coordinator Terry Collins (via Adam Rubin), the Mets are considering converting Eddie Kunz to a starting pitcher. This idea may seem a bit off the wall considering how badly Kunz has struggled in relief in Triple-A, but really, what does the organization (or Kunz for that matter) have to lose at this point? He'll certainly get more reps in this way, and maybe he'll find a second or third pitch that works. Despite his struggles, his GB% has always been excellent, at 60.8% in 2009 and 65.7% for his minor league career. The problem is a lack of separation between his walk and strikeout totals, as he struck out just 38 while walking 31 in 62.3 innings last year. The only major downside is that fans will get less DMX late in games at Coca-Cola Field in 2010.
The quote from Rubin's article:
Eddie Kunz received some interesting news from minor-league field coordinator Terry Collins on Tuesday. Kunz, who won a College World Series while closing at Oregon State, learned he may be used as a starting pitcher this season. The belief is it will force Kunz to become more developed as a pitcher. Kunz, the Mets’ top pick in the 2007 draft (42nd overall), hasn’t started since high school. He told Collins his only concern would be that he’s uncomfortable not getting regular work. Kunz cited a 17-inning scoreless streak he had with Double-A Binghamton in 2008 as an example of thriving with regular work. The compromise may be that Kunz faces a few hitters rather than having a standard between-starts bullpen.
Other notes from Rubin: The Grapefruit league opener will either go to Hisanori Takahashi or Nelson Figueroa and Fernando Tatis will wear full on orthodontic braces this year.
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Why not?
It’s only the minor leagues, so the mounting losses won’t matter THAT much. I think Kunz is just not going to be a major leaguer. It happens.
Bringing up another guy who can’t throw strikes. makes no sense. He would fit in with the majority of our rotation (2 through 4) so would feel like one of the guys, but would drive me crazy. I can handle hits, but walks make me want to scream.
by christopherm on Feb 24, 2010 8:33 AM EST up reply actions
got Kunz's autograph back in 08 in Pittsburgh
not very relevant, but just thought i should mention it
Goodbye Sir Dr. Sen. Brain SOCKS! D.D.S.R.S.V.P
I'm so glad the Mets drafted a low-risk, low-reward player
at least he was pretty much guaranteed to make it to the big leagues quickly, right?
2009 Did Not Happen
Dental Plan
Fernando needs braces
by James Kannengieser on Feb 24, 2010 10:19 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
Awesome.
Rec’d
"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez
by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Feb 24, 2010 10:24 AM EST up reply actions
Kunz hasn't changed much.
Heralded as a future set-up man , Joe Sokolowski of Metsgeek.com summed up this bizarre draft pick up nicely last August.
“There are probably a number of reasons the Mets selected Kunz. At draft time, the ‘07 Mets bullpen was greatly underperforming the previous years group. The Mets offense and starting pitching looked solid and looked like they would be solid for years to come. In addition to the Kunz, the Mets selected Joe Smith in the third round of the ‘06 draft and saw Smith go from draft pick to effective major league player in under a year. If Smith, a less than premium draft prospect, could yield such positive results for a win-now team, what would a premium college closer be able to do for the Mets? The thing is, retrospectively, Kunz’s college career isn’t too impressive. He last and best season in college had him throw 46 innings with a walk rate of 3.5 per nine and a strikeout rate of 7.2 per nine. I’m sure his groundball percentage was nice but, still, I’m kind of surprised he was thought of as a future closer especially with the fact that he has all of 12 saves in college career. Regardless, Kunz was selected and what was supposed to be a conservative pick that would make the majors quickly is quickly turning into a ROOGY with limited upside.”
Looking at his pro numbers since it is only more pronounced. A desperate effort by our dysfunctional minor league system to salvage a pick that should never of been made. At least not our 1st in 2007
This
The Mets offense and starting pitching looked solid and looked like they would be solid for years to come.
this has got to be some of the worst possible logic a team could possible come up with for a draft pick for 1. I don’t see anyway how our offense or rotation, with so many stop gap type players, could have looked like it was going to be good for years to come. for 2. major league need should NEVER EVER EVER be a consideration when you’re talking about top picks, or really any picks but especially top picks.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
The only time I could see not drafting the best player available
is if you have Albert Pujols at first base, have another highly regarded 1b prospect in the minors, and the BPA in the draft is a guy who is literally only going to be a 1b or a DH. And when is that type of player ever the BPA in a draft?
2009 Did Not Happen
Well even if you have that
then you could always take that BPA anyway and just develop him and trade him, or the other guy or both, down the road. That’s kind of the same logic behind taking low risk college bats, that even if you stockpile enough of them you can trade them for a high risk bigger reward pitching prospect who you might have passed on who’s already somewhat proved his arm isn’t going to fall off soon and will likely have some sort of major league success.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
yea
although I would imagine, in that scenario, unless the pure 1b guy is like Mark McGwire or something, there’s going to be a more versatile guy who’s rated almost as highly that you can take instead.
But, I agree with you – there’s almost never an excuse not to take BPA. And there is absolutely no excuse, ever, for taking a decent college reliever in the first round.
2009 Did Not Happen
I really like this idea
Facing more batters forces him to develop his other pitches. I also think it forces him to fine tune his pitching strategy. I feel that relievers, and closers in particular employ a very rigid plan of attack against hitters. They cling to their best stuff, and seldom keep the hitters off balance. I think Hoffman does an excellent job of keeping his opponents off-balance, which explains why he has been able to close for so long and with a fastball that doesn’t break 90.
College Relievers
The problem is putting so much stock in college relievers. No kid starts out wanting to be a reliever. So if you ended in the pen in college that says something right there. Even with the specialized nature of modern college ball, the starters are there best pitchers. The Mets bizarre plan to draft college relievers over starters has not paid off. I am trouble naming any that have had an impact on this team.
Parnell?
I think he might have been one of their reliever turned starter experiments? But I could be wrong.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
Parnell both started and relieved in college. He wasn’t a closer though.
by Coolpapabell on Feb 24, 2010 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
I agree but
They were clearly followinga trend. The A’s had success with Street, the Nats with Cordero, and the Twins with Nathan, so the Mets tried their own hand. You can’t forget that Redsox also tried to follow suit but got bruned with Craig Hansen.
by Coolpapabell on Feb 24, 2010 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
The twins traded for Nathan in a huge package they didn't draft him,
and he was a 6th round pick not a first rounder. And Minaya was the one who drafted Cordero, so he was following his own trend. Not to mention following a trend is kind of an awful excuse for making a baseball move. Street was a first round pick but that was 3 years earlier, and Hansen was 2 years earlier, and hadn’t had much success, that’s a little late to jump on a two team bandwagon.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
and nathan was drafted and developed as a starter
by Rob Castellano on Feb 24, 2010 11:16 AM EST up reply actions
i was under the impression
that nathan was not a pitcher, and was converted into one in the minors. No?
He went to my high school, by the way (Pine Bush, NY represent).
by Mike Clemente on Feb 24, 2010 1:11 PM EST up reply actions
Its hard to argue with that
Could the argument be made that the pickings were pretty slim where they were picking. I believe only Hagadone, and Corey Browne had experienced much success.
by Coolpapabell on Feb 24, 2010 11:18 AM EST up reply actions
Also when you consider how many picks the Red Sox had in 05
and who else they got surrounding Hansen with their first rounders, Buckholz, Bowden, Lowrie, Ellsbury, throwing a low risk player in the middle like Hansen isn’t nearly as a bad as a team that just gave up it’s first round pick to sign friggin Moises Alou using it’s top pick on a low risk low reward player.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
What the hell? Can't hurt.
It’s not like he’s contributing in any way, shape, or fashion. Maybe he can become a starter, and he pitches like 5 innings for us at some point, giving up 4 runs, but winning the game. I mean, the bar is so low here, it’s hard not to go over it, you know?
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 24, 2010 1:05 PM EST reply actions
I mean, the bar is so low here, it’s hard not to go over it, you know?
i feel like we’ve said this a lot about the mets in the last 2 years, and every year they’ve risen to the occasion, or fallen I guess, and managed to bring the bar even lower.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
I was never crazy about Kunz's stuff from what I saw
… when the Mets brought him up. It seems like he’s gone downhill ever since.
"Never throw a slider to The Glider."
- Ed Charles, No. 5
His problem seems to be the walks
and if he’s a starter, thats going to hurt more, but maybe he can become a replacement level starter
"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"
Wait a second...
Is there a possibility that Kunz might be being moved into the rotation not because it might help him get regular work/work on his pitches, but because Adam Rubin lobby for AAA bullpen job?
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Feb 25, 2010 12:39 AM EST reply actions
he say he can get guys out so
y’know once he say that we have to expedite more the finding a spot. and when I watch him pitch I had to kind of tell myself “wow he’s getting these guys out”. and y’know adam, he has lobby for bullpen job before, he lobby myself, he lobby oberkfell, he has lobby cora. So when he say he can get outs, y’know I was kind of a little bit somewhat kind of we gotta see this guy pitch.
"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'
it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.
by Gina on Feb 25, 2010 12:55 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Just Perfect
Even Richard Price thinks that’s some good monologuery. (Also, the words “he has lobby Cora” are straight lol-lerskates)
I like the move
He’s got top of the line GB stuff, which is far more likely to be an asset for a starter. He’ll also get more regular work on his secondary stuff, and hopefully learn some better control. Even if he never amounts to more than a AAAA spot starter type, thats quite a bit better than I’m expecting from him now.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 25, 2010 2:12 PM EST reply actions
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