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Fat Strat wrote:So, what if we take a predictive approach to the present bullpen?

Predictive to the current LU, I think what I was saying is relevant.

I think first we have to acknowledge how bad it is right now. A 4.12 FIP for a NL bullpen is very bad. Only 4 teams in the NL are worse. Some kind of measure needs to be taken to fix that, and the general way you fix something like this is replace under-performers with better performers.

Brebbia should be up as soon as he's eligible, with Hicks down. Or Gomber down. Gant I can't get excited about until he comes up and pitches out of the pen for a while and we get to see what he can do without riding the shuttle to/from AAA and to/from the rotation to the pen.

The guys who are currently good at getting outs should be pitching all of the high leverage situations, and the guys who are not so good at getting outs should be pitching the mop-up and low-leverage situation. Brebbia doesn't need to close, he just needs to be the guy who comes in with one out in the sixth and the starter has allowed a hit and a single and needs pulled. Let Brebbia get those two outs (or Leone) and then bring Gregerson in for the 7th with no one on base and no outs, where Gregerson can't hurt as much and you still protect his delicate ego by having him pitch after the kid.

Gregerson and Holland are for all intents and purposes on the back end of their careers and not that useful. Holland's FIP has gone:
1.68
2.10
3.78
--missed entire season--
4.05
6.38 (current season).
I don't mean to be reactive, but to be proactive I'll say he's toast, and should not be seeing any high-leverage innings. He's appeared in 10 games, has blown 2 of them and has tried to blow a third that we won. Marginalizing Holland would mean eliminating bias/sentiment in determining RP deployment. Not to open an argument that's years past but remember years ago and the Lynn or McClellan debate? My thinking on this now is the same as my thinking about that then: let the better pitcher pitch. There can't be any "well we're paying him this much, so he should pitch in the 8th or 9th" or "he was the closer on back to back World Series teams." That stuff has to not matter and what has to matter is stuff/command/getting outs over he knows how to get guys out/is a crafty veteran. I'm sure Holland is a smarter pitcher than Brebbia and Leone, but he's old and his stuff and command are not as good as those two youngsters are, and knowing what to do and having the talent to do it are two different things.

Not impressed with anyone in this bullpen.

Leone is godawful. We really want to lose that Grichuk trade.

4/1 GDT

Big Amoco Sign wrote:Impressed with Hicks and Leone.

Bullpen looks much better already. Add Holland and Gregerson and good night.

4/3 GDT

Big Amoco Sign wrote:Leone had a good attitude after the game. It's already behind him and he's anxious to prove he can right the ship.

4/10 GDT

Big Amoco Sign wrote:Leone rules

Anyone else think that Wacha could be a great bullpen option if Reyes comes back and is effective? His fastball-change combo could be very good out of the pen.

Rotation could be Carlos, Reyes, Weaver, Mikolas, Waino/Flaherty.

Bullpen of Norris, Hicks, Wacha, etc....

DeadMoney wrote:Anyone else think that Wacha could be a great bullpen option if Reyes comes back and is effective? His fastball-change combo could be very good out of the pen.

Rotation could be Carlos, Reyes, Weaver, Mikolas, Waino/Flaherty.

Bullpen of Norris, Hicks, Wacha, etc....

Yes!!!!!!!!

CardsofSTL wrote:4/1 GDT

Big Amoco Sign wrote:Impressed with Hicks and Leone.

Bullpen looks much better already. Add Holland and Gregerson and good night.

4/3 GDT

Big Amoco Sign wrote:Leone had a good attitude after the game. It's already behind him and he's anxious to prove he can right the ship.

4/10 GDT

Big Amoco Sign wrote:Leone rules

LOL

1. Norris
2. Hicks
3. Tui
4. Gregerson
5. Lyons
6. Sherriff
7. Holland
8. Bowman

Honestly at this point I can't even keep track of who is in the bullpen, let alone who I trust.

Holland and Gregerson have been looking a lot better, imo.

And how many baby seals did Brebbia club to get so far down on Mo's hit list. Seems like we've been talking about how he needs to be up with the Cards for weeks now.

I just looked at Cards Talk for the first time this season (I guess I was in too good of a mood and felt like being tortured) and there was one thread that I found entertaining. Apparently somebody says they got a notification from their MLB App that said Bud Norris was just acquired by the Orioles and he was panicking and wondering what in the heck the Cards were doing until he noticed the date stamp was from a few years ago.

The rest of the threads I looked at were still the same as ever. They start out OK and then before long it is just the same two or three people fighting over stupid garbage and getting personal with the insults for the next 12 pages.