MASNRoch: Brady Anderson and Miguel Gonzalez

[weams]

I feel like Chen gets the least respect.

He was the 20th best in the AL last season.

Sortable Pitching

RK PLAYER TEAM GP GS IP H R ER BB SO W L SV BLSV WAR WHIP ERA

1 Felix Hernandez SEA 34 34 236.0 170 68 56 46 248 15 6 0 0 6.8 0.92 2.14

2 Chris Sale CHW 26 26 174.0 129 48 42 39 208 12 4 0 0 6.6 0.97 2.17

3 Corey Kluber CLE 34 34 235.2 207 72 64 51 269 18 9 0 0 7.4 1.09 2.44

4 Jon Lester BOS/OAK 32 32 219.2 194 76 60 48 220 16 11 0 0 2.7 1.10 2.46

5 Garrett Richards LAA 26 26 168.2 124 51 49 51 164 13 4 0 0 4.5 1.04 2.61

6 Alex Cobb TB 27 27 166.1 142 56 53 47 149 10 9 0 0 3.9 1.14 2.87

7 Dallas Keuchel HOU 29 29 200.0 187 71 65 48 146 12 9 0 0 5.1 1.18 2.93

8 Sonny Gray OAK 33 33 219.0 187 84 75 74 183 14 10 0 0 3.2 1.19 3.08

9 Max Scherzer DET 33 33 220.1 196 80 77 63 252 18 5 0 0 6.0 1.18 3.15

10 Yordano Ventura KC 31 30 183.0 168 70 65 69 159 14 10 0 0 3.2 1.30 3.20

RK PLAYER TEAM GP GS IP H R ER BB SO W L SV BLSV WAR WHIP ERA

11 James Shields KC 34 34 227.0 224 95 81 44 180 14 8 0 0 3.3 1.18 3.21

12 David Price DET/TB 34 34 248.1 230 100 90 38 271 15 12 0 0 1.9 1.08 3.26

13 Jose Quintana CHW 32 32 200.1 197 87 74 52 178 9 11 0 0 3.5 1.24 3.32

14 Chris Archer TB 32 32 194.2 177 85 72 72 173 10 9 0 0 2.5 1.28 3.33

15 Chris Tillman BAL 34 34 207.1 189 83 77 66 150 13 6 0 0 2.4 1.23 3.34

16 Mark Buehrle TOR 32 32 202.0 228 83 76 46 119 13 10 0 0 3.6 1.36 3.39

17 Rick Porcello DET 32 31 204.2 211 89 78 41 129 15 13 0 0 4.0 1.23 3.43

18 Hisashi Iwakuma SEA 28 28 179.0 167 70 70 21 154 15 9 0 0 2.5 1.05 3.52

19 Phil Hughes MIN 32 32 209.2 221 88 82 16 186 16 10 0 0 4.3 1.13 3.52

20 Wei-Yin Chen BAL 31 31 185.2 193 77 73 35 136 16 6 0 0 1.8 1.23 3.54

RK PLAYER TEAM GP GS IP H R ER BB SO W L SV BLSV WAR WHIP ERA

21 Scott Kazmir OAK 32 32 190.1 171 81 75 50 164 15 9 0 0 1.7 1.16 3.55

22 Jered Weaver LAA 34 34 213.1 193 87 85 65 169 18 9 0 0 3.0 1.21 3.59

23 Bud Norris BAL 28 28 165.1 149 68 67 52 139 15 8 0 0 1.9 1.22 3.65

[Frobby]

That's a long way of saying you have no opinion on the matter.

If I had to make a decision right now, I'd make one. But I'd rather wait because there is a lot of relevant information that isn't available yet. It certainly won't be an easy choice.

[scOtt]

If it happens (Gausman to Norfolk) it's to keep him stretched out and working on his breaking stuff and providing depth. It also allows the O's to carry another pitcher on the roster while they figure things out. Might give them a few more weeks to get a look at Jason Garcia or Verrett in real major league games.

To me it's this, mainly. You can't let him rot in the bullpen. He HAS to be starting wherever he ends up.

[Crazysilver03]

I feel like Chen gets the least respect.

Yeah but no one wants to option Chen to the minors. I agree he doesn't get the respect he deserves either. Some people are going to be shocked at the contract he lands next year.

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[weams]

Yeah but no one wants to option Chen to the minors. I agree he doesn't get the respect he deserves either. Some people are going to be shocked at the contract he lands next year.

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Chen will get a very nice contract. Way more than we would ever pay. Ubaldo is our largest pitching contract ever. We will extend Tillman first. Boras is Chen's agent. He is not interested in extending.

[Nevermore]

A wise position.

Oh, but that's no fun!

[El Gordo]

Gausman to the pen or Norfolk. Norfolk makes the most sense, IMO, because it makes room for Garcia.

[Can_of_corn]

Gausman to the pen or Norfolk. Norfolk makes the most sense, IMO, because it makes room for Garcia.

Sending who is likely the O's best pitcher to Norfolk does not make sense.

Before you get all upset will you agree that five of the O's starters were about the same?

Out of those five will you agree that four of them are unlikely to make significant improvements?

Would you agree that Gausman is likely to improve?

1+1+1=3.

It doesn't make sense for a team that thinks itself a contender to act in that way.

[BarclaySouthway]

Geez! Nothing bad's going to happen to you if you're wrong. With the information you have available to you today, what's your best guess as to what happens? If you don't want to play, no problem, but it's a pretty easy and safe game to play.

This sounds like permission to go off half-cocked. Alright then, Ubaldo, get in the pen, and take some of that 13 million and buy yourself a really nice mop.

[Can_of_corn]

Gausman has the best long term potential, for sure. However, that doesn't mean he is clearly better or will be clearly better than the other five this season. Also, a case can be made why sending Gausman to Norfolk to start the year in Norfolk is in the O's best interests this year. You've got him with one foot in the HOF already. Again, if he's ready to break out, he should dominate down at AAA, shouldn't he? If he does, the O's will figure a way to get him back up.

I didn't say he was clearly better. I said it is likely that he will be the best pitcher by the end of the season. The other five are pretty much who they are, Gausman is already at the same level they are and has youth and projection on his side.

If this is a playoff team then they can't afford to waste potential wins at Norfolk, not unless you think they win the division by double digits again.

[Crazysilver03]

I didn't say he was clearly better. I said it is likely that he will be the best pitcher by the end of the season. The other five are pretty much who they are, Gausman is already at the same level they are and has youth and projection on his side.

If this is a playoff team then they can't afford to waste potential wins at Norfolk, not unless you think they win the division by double digits again.

How useful are Gonzo/Gausman in the bullpen? O'Day/Hunter/Britton are your 7-9th inning guys. If Gonzo/Gausman go to the bullpen and aren't stretched out, do you really want to insert Mike Wright or TJM into the rotation when someone gets injured?

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[Can_of_corn]

How useful are Gonzo/Gausman in the bullpen? O'Day/Hunter/Britton are your 7-9th inning guys. If Gonzo/Gausman go to the bullpen and aren't stretched out, do you really want to insert Mike Wright or TJM into the rotation when someone gets injured?

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Sure, I will be happy to insert Wright or TJ into the rotation for a couple of starts. Better the Gausman wasting away at Norfolk.

[backwardsk]

How useful are Gonzo/Gausman in the bullpen? O'Day/Hunter/Britton are your 7-9th inning guys. If Gonzo/Gausman go to the bullpen and aren't stretched out, do you really want to insert Mike Wright or TJM into the rotation when someone gets injured?

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Let me ask you this. If Gonzalez is in the bullpen and throwing 2-3 innings every now and then, and an injury happens, how many turns in the rotation do you think it would take to get him back to throwing starter's innings? Just because they are in the bullpen, doesn't mean they couldn't go back to being a starter.

McFarland was able to give the team 5 IP when he made his start. He had pitched 3 days before.

I wouldn't have a problem sending him or Gausman down for a couple of turns to stretch him out and call up Wright/TJM/Wilson/Berry if that was needed.

I think having the sixth starter in the bullpen can give Buck a lot of flexibility. Let's say Britton has gone back-to-back nights and the pen is taxed, it would be great to turn to Gonzalez/Gausman/Norris to pick up the 6-9 innings in a close game. I think it would be a big weapon that other teams don't have.

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[weams]

Again, who says they are wasting potential wins in April by starting Gausman out at Norfolk? You? If he has taken the next step he will either show it in ST or very early in the season in Norfolk. I ask once again and nobody seems to want to answer this one. If Gausman is ready to take that next step, then he should dominate AAA hitters. Right?

The other side of this coin is that we trade someone like Norris and put Gausman in the rotation. In mid April, Chen goes down with an oblique strain. Don't we lose wins by having to go with next man up in the rotation instead of having someone like Gausman to turn to?

Tillman did not dominate. But he had taken the step.

[Can_of_corn]

Tillman did not dominate. But he had taken the step.

I thought results in the minors were not overly important. I thought it was the process.

Guess I was wrong...again.

Someone should tell Buck that he is wrong to want a good defense behind his pitchers, they should all be dominating lineups.