Grantland: Why Is One of Baltimore's Best Starting Pitchers Stuck in the Bullpen?

[srock]

No, they aren't. When hitters learn to set dead red after a year in the league, you know your stuff isn't good enough. He actually throws only one. You are confusing his splitter/change up with a "sinker". Again only thrown 3 times in 2015 season... but it's never swung at and missed either. Say like Britton's.

He can tell you it's curve all he wants. But from day one scouts saw his curve in HS and College as a future slider due to his arm speed. All he is doing is slowing down his arm speed and you get gitty and call it a new pitch. It's his slider he never developed in the minors.

Read the Grantland piece and not impressed. KG is good.. he needs to go to the next level for 2 reasons. 1) you want him a starter 2) you want him to be what we all hoped.. you can't do that in the MLB if you are trying to win another pennant.

I really couldn't disagree with you more on pretty much every point.

Guasman isn't a starting pitcher right now for 2 reasons and they have nothing to do with "stuff"?

The primary reason is the 5 other guys who have out pitched him over the long haul. They have earned there spot in the rotation. Even Jimenez, if you look at his entire career, has earned the opportunity to be Ubaldo 2010 (late 2013). Norris is the closest to pitching himself out fo the rotation, but he has proven he can be league average over 170+ innings. And that is important, probably more important then pure stuff, because plenty of great pitching talent can't do it consistenly over a long season.

Which leads us to the second reason Guasman is in the pen. He has not learned how to utilize his impressive arsenal against major league hitters over a long period of time. Its about consistent mechanics and making adjustments to your game plan. He won't learn the latter in AAA because he can just blow most everybody away with pure stuff.

I can handle an argument about going to AAA to work on consistent mechanics. But I think the Orioles put value on his work out the pen right now, so here we are.

[srock]

I'm less impressed with his FB I guess. His 2 seam and 4 seam FB seam indistinguishable at times and too often quite hittable. Glad to hear he's changing elevation though and hopefully learning to run his 2 seam more. Like you said, I think its largely a matter of putting things together and learning how to pitch. I'm not so sure sure about the strategy in the BP versus AAA though. I get the Orioles idea to have him face stiffer competition at the ML level, but I want to see him him work on all his pitches and command them and not just come in out of the BP with heat. Tough line here, but maybe long relief will work.

His fastballs do lose some action when his mechanics aren't 100%, but that's true with any pitcher (really true with Tommy Hunter ). Its another adjustment he needs to learn: How to pitch when his stuff isn't at its best.

[BradyBunch]

And guess what another crap 2nd or 3rd pitch crushed off KG. Needs to learn to pitch not throw.

[Can_of_corn]

He gets sent down after the game right?

I think Buck and Dan are going to want a fresh arm after that Ump show tonight.

[Crazysilver03]

He gets sent down after the game right?

I think Buck and Dan are going to want a fresh arm after that Ump show tonight.

Yeah It has to happen after this screw job. Hopefully Buck rides him as long as he can though. Didn't understand pulling him after not even 2 innings the other day.

[Crazysilver03]

I do not understand the handling of Gausman at all.

[LookitsPuck]

Send him to the minors and leave him there until his slider isn't always a hanging mess.

[Can_of_corn]

Send him to the minors and leave him there until his slider isn't always a hanging mess.

He ditched his slider. Of course he didn't do it at the start of ST when it would have made sense...

[MagicBird]

I do not understand the handling of Gausman at all.

Thats why you post here and Buck doesnt . . . . . .

[Crazysilver03]

Thats why you post here and Buck doesnt . . . . . .

Thanks for such a useful post.

[Aristotelian]

He ditched his slider. Of course he didn't do it at the start of ST when it would have made sense...

That looked like a slider to me that Hanigan crushed. It did not look like a curve. I don't know if he knows what he is throwing.

[CA-ORIOLE]

That looked like a slider to me that Hanigan crushed. It did not look like a curve. I don't know if he knows what he is throwing.

I thought so too. A couple that looked more like curve balls earlier.

[Il BuonO]

So...let me see if I follow the thread. KG isn't in the rotation because the O's are a meritocracy. But Jimenez. His stuff isn't better than others currently in the rotation. But Norris (a.k.a. the epitome of ML mediocrity based on his history). Well, in Buck/the O's development plan we trust. But...nearly every pitcher they've moved through the system since Mussina.

The only theory that makes any sense whatsoever is that 2-3 members of the current rotation are basically auditioning for one possible trade. But then you have to stretch KG back out so that he can fill the vacancy.

Bottom line? I don't see how KG advances his ability to start in the majors by getting scattered, long relief innings from the 'pen. And given the O's...ahem...shaky track record in terms of development, I'd say this has the more of the makings of another botched effort than it does the trimmings of a master plan in action.

This is exactly where I'm at. Their plan doesn't look very good. And this isn't about on-the-job-training in the pen before he is ready to start. He proved last year he was ready to start when Jimenez was moved to the pen. And that was AFTER he had been in the pen previously.

I'm less convinced this is about ability and not about dollars. Easy to look at the start he's had and say he doesn't belong, but before the season started Buck claimed he would be there. Things probably changed when it looked like Jimenez was going to be a consideration. And since he finished better than Gausman did during ST and makes a ton more money there was little doubt who would go to the pen. Gausman's spring wasn't as bad as people on here portray it but his last outing before a decision was made didn't help. I don't think it would have mattered. Last I checked Norris makes almost $9mil so his spot is secure no matter how bad he pitches in ST, or the regular season for that matter.

But Gausman, well that's different because he doesn't have the track record of the others. Ridiculous. Bud Norris is the poster boy for ML mediocrity. I'll say it again, 105 ERA+ last year in what may have been his best. His track record? He's 92 ERA+ for his career. That's below average folks. Meanwhile, Gausman produced a 107 ERA+ in 113 innings, his first significant ML service time. That's better than Norris yet I keep hearing about track record.

As Jonah Keri notes in the Grantland piece, they have more than one expensive FA they could move to not only acquire pieces but clear a spot for Gausman. Let's hope the plan doesn't put our top arm behind in his development, we may need him next year.

[Aristotelian]

I'm less convinced this is about ability and not about dollars. Easy to look at the start he's had and say he doesn't belong, but before the season started Buck claimed he would be there. Things probably changed when it looked like Jimenez was going to be a consideration. And since he finished better than Gausman did during ST and makes a ton more money there was little doubt who would go to the pen. Gausman's spring wasn't as bad as people on here portray it but his last outing before a decision was made didn't help. I don't think it would have mattered. Last I checked Norris makes almost $9mil so his spot is secure no matter how bad he pitches in ST, or the regular season for that matter.

Based on how they are using him, they seem to sincerely think he fills an immediate need--the bridge guy who can pitch 1+ shutdown innings to get to our matchup guys and Britton. Andrew Miller showed how valuable that type of guy is. Last year down the stretch KG was lights out in the bullpen. On paper this would be the perfect role for him. Might not be great for his development, but if it worked out he could build his confidence, then be the next man up in the event of injury, and be handed a rotation spot in 2016. Right now it is not working out that way and it's killing us.

[Can_of_corn]

It seems like his decision to switch the slider out for a curve and elevate his fastball was made either late in the spring or after the season started.

I think he is showing that he can't incorporate these changes and still get out major league hitters.

At this point I think it might be for the best if he goes down and works on these changes in an environment that isn't results driven.