Baseball Musings: The Prospect

January 05, 2007

The Prospect

The New York Daily News profiles Ross Ohlendorf, the prize of the Randy Johnson trade:

One scout at the Princeton-Old Dominion game clocked the ball that struck Ross Ohlendorf above the right elbow as traveling 106 mph coming off the bat. Ohlendorf, pitching a few years ago in a marquee game against ODU star Justin Verlander that attracted more than 100 talent evaluators, reached down, picked up the ball that had just stung him and threw out the runner at first.
"I went out there to get him out of there," Princeton coach Scott Bradley recalled. "You could see the welt. But he said, 'You gotta let me stay in. I'm fine.' He got the next guy out with a 94 mile-an-hour fastball. He pitched the sixth inning, too.

"He's a guy who was one of the brightest we had at Princeton, got high honors out of the engineering program and couldn't be any nicer. But that doesn't mean he isn't some kind of tough hombre, too."

I keep hearing the Yankees are going after Clemens, but it strikes me they have two or three rookies now who might break into the rotation. Why spend all the extra money on another old pitcher who can just pitch part time?

Posted by David Pinto at 08:30 AM | Pitchers | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Roger Clemens is just "another old pitcher who can just pitch part time"?

Are any of the Yankees rookies going to put up a 197 ERA+, like Clemens did last season?

Posted by: Cash Money at January 5, 2007 09:32 AM

Last I looked Clemens can go about six innings a game for half a season. That pretty much sums up part time. Sure, he's good, but what are the Yankees going to do for the other 16 starts? If you have a 25 year-old who can pitch full time, pitch well, and cost less than a million dollars, why sign Clemens?

Posted by: David Pinto at January 5, 2007 10:00 AM

I'll take 6 innings of Clemens over X innings of Karstens, Rasner, etc. any day. I don't think money is an issue here, especially after clearing $14M from the Unit.

Who would you rather have pitching in the postseason, which is all that really matters for the Yanks anyway, Clemens or one of the rookies?

Should Clemens decide not to come to NY, the Yankees suddenly have a ton of prospects to move for established starting pitching down the stretch.

Posted by: Cash Money at January 5, 2007 10:07 AM

From the moves the Yankees have been making this offseason, I don't know that the Yankees should sign Clemens.

They've gotten several arms from trades that project to start in the high minors, and I'd say their system is pretty well stocked right now with pitching prospects - enough that maybe one of their prospects will be given the chance to win a starting job out of spring training (Humberto Sanchez?).

If so, that gives them a full rotation in the spring of Wang, Mussina, Pettitte, Igawa and Sanchez, with several young arms good for insurance and post ASB callups.

At the least, I think Philip Hughes will be a late season callup to join the rotation. That seems to be the consensus as to how the Yankees should move him along.

I don't see how Clemens, who might not pitch until after June, would fit in well with the Yankees development plans, and dare I say, newfound fiscal responsibility.

Posted by: Will at January 5, 2007 10:26 AM

"Might" is the key word. Especially with young pitchers, it pays to be pessimistic and conservative (on expectations for both development and health), even in the aggregate. The ideal situation is to have backup that doesn't also block the emerging talent or bust your budget. Clemens for half a season doesn't block the young guys, and even at $16M won't bust the Yankees' budget. And he is still a fairly decent pitcher (to put it mildly). I really don't see a downside.

Posted by: Dr. Manhattan at January 5, 2007 10:29 AM

Don't forget that by signing Clemens and keeping the kids out of the rotation could also deprive the kids from getting valuable experience at the major league level. This will impact them, maybe not this year, but in the upcoming years.

Posted by: sabernar at January 5, 2007 11:32 AM

I agree with sabernar...the Yankees will never break in 2 or 3 rookies at once so it is better if they can progressively work them in. Maybe Sanchez starts the year as the 5, Hughes comes up mid season and then next season they break in more young guys. I dont think the Yankees HAVE to go get Clemens they can definately get by without him

I also wouldn't count out Pavano, if he can stay healthy he is in for a big pay day in two years...and that can motivate anyone with the way pitching has been going.

Posted by: Kyle at January 5, 2007 12:00 PM

Also, it's funny how people get so touchy about rookies in the playoffs when we've seen in K-Rod dominate in 2002, 2003 had Dontrelle and Miguel Cabrera contribute, we saw Bobby Jenks contribute in 2005, and last year Zumaya and Verlander were very useful for the Tigers in the playoffs. I don't think playoff experience really makes one a better pitcher. I think being more talented at pitching makes one a better pitcher in the playoffs.

Posted by: Adam B. at January 5, 2007 08:05 PM

I believe this rumor is from the school of thought that the Zito rumors were from. Clemens might want to sign with the Yankees again and if in June or July Moose is on the DL and Igawa isn't working out then the Yankees can sign him but I would expect just a shade over a 100 ERA+ from him in 100 innings.

He didn't last very long in the 19 starts he made last year. Not facing the pitcher he's going to last even less in the AL. What you'd have is a starter giving you 4 innings of good pitching and then coming out and getting chased in the fifth and sixth innings. He's Roger Clemens so he's not sitting the fifth. I'd imagine that if he signs with the Yankees or Sox that we see fatigue inflate those numbers substantially. I guess what I'm trying to say is that he'll be Jaret Wright.

Posted by: Jason at January 6, 2007 03:04 AM

Posted by: Jason at January 6, 2007 03:05 AM

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