March 11, 2008
Phillies Insurance
Who would have thought the most positive pitching story to come out of the Phillies camp this spring would be Kris Benson:
When the Phillies signed him to a minor league deal in mid-February, they cautioned that he was throwing at only 60 to 70 percent of his velocity, and there could yet be peaks and valleys in his recovery. Thus far, Benson has progressed linearly, showing improvement every time he steps on the mound.
But Benson's recovery isn't complete. In an appearance in a minor league game Saturday, his peak velocity was 88 mph. Consistently, he was a notch or two below that. Benson said yesterday he believes the extra power he needs for games will develop naturally over the next few weeks. But the fact remains, he is not there yet.
Kendrick, Eaton and Hamels all posted ERAs over 10.00 so far. None of this is really meaningful as no one has tossed that many innings. Benson, however, may give Philadelphia a decent option come the middle of the season when the starters start needing time off for injuries.
The Baseball Musings pledge drive continues through March. Please consider making a donation.
Posted by David Pinto at
07:28 AM
|
Pitchers
|
TrackBack (0)
Philly should be more worried about Anna Benson.