Tillman DFA

[Hallas]

2 hours ago, webbrick2010 said:

So we are still not making a clean break. If he pitches in AAA he is wasting a roster spot and hurting the development of some viable player.

So tough for this organization to make simple decisions

I can probably count on 1 hand the number of pitchers in the high minors that have more talent than Tillman, bum shoulder or not.  Do I think he is going to return to form?  Not really.  But I honestly don't think he's taking anything away from anyone who actually has a legitimate shot at being useful.  You can take that as an indictment of our farm system, but we had a really nice 5 year run  and got a decent haul for Manny, so sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

[Reboulet'sStache]

Could you imagine if we would have extended him a few seasons ago when that was the hot topic on this board?  We'd have Tillman and Davis on the books for the future. There would be no hope for the future. 

[TonySoprano]

4 minutes ago, Reboulet'sStache said:

Could you imagine if we would have extended him a few seasons ago when that was the hot topic on this board?  We'd have Tillman and Davis on the books for the future. There would be no hope for the future. 

Mem-or-ies

 

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, ISU94 said:

Yeah, he wasn't working here. That happens sometimes. Doesn't mean anyone thought he didn't have "it". He clearly had good stuff and potential still. The guy was a top 20 prospect with tremendous upside. 

Tillman is on the backside of his career hitting in the high 80's velo wise and getting lit up in A ball.

Again, not exactly the same situation really at all. Tillman isn't working out in A ball, Arrieta wasn't working out in the bigs but dominating lower levels and still displaying great stuff while pitching.

Arrieta was never a top 20 prospect.  Or top 50.   https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=arriet001jak.     But he was a very good prospect.    

By 27, though, you’re not a prospect.    You’re a guy who has thrown 358 major league innings to a 5.46 ERA and whose ERA has been increasing each year.    You’re a guy who can look dominant one inning and melt down the next, with regularity.    

I certainly did not expect Jake to become a Cy Young winner once he got away from Baltimore, even though he had good stuff.    He’d been given a lot of chances and didn’t seem to have what it takes between the ears.   But as it turned out, he just needed a coach who would let him do his thing instead of forcing him into a box.    

[Morgan423]

I feel bad for him... his arm just broke down.  Unless he can learn to pitch left handed, or learn a super-quality knuckleball, or morph into Jamie Moyer... he's probably done.  

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, Natty said:

I remember Kim refused to go down to the minors. Is this different? Sorry I'm not sure of those rules.

Kim had options but his contract we signed with him gave him the right to refuse a minor league assignment.

Tillman is a major league veteran who has been out of options for years.

[Finisher]

34 minutes ago, Reboulet'sStache said:

Could you imagine if we would have extended him a few seasons ago when that was the hot topic on this board?  We'd have Tillman and Davis on the books for the future. There would be no hope for the future. 

Massive bullets dodged with Tillman, Wieters and Chen.

[Mendoza Line]

5 minutes ago, Finisher said:

Massive bullets dodged with Tillman, Wieters and Chen.

And then we got the kill shot from the Davis bullet.  Can't dodge them all.

[TGO]

If Tillman wants to keep pitching, Norfolk is as good a place as any for him to be. And from our perspective I don't think we have 5 guys knocking on the door who need the innings at that level.

[LocoChris]

4 hours ago, Mountain Bird said:

I hate to see him go, but when you cannot get outs at the big league level this is what happens.

He couldn't even get outs at the minor league level. 

Feel bad for him but clearly this move had to be done. 

[sportsfan8703]

4 hours ago, webbrick2010 said:

So we are still not making a clean break. If he pitches in AAA he is wasting a roster spot and hurting the development of some viable player.

So tough for this organization to make simple decisions

I think we’re just throwing the guy a bone that’s been in the organization 10 years. He did pitch hurt down the stretch in 2016 and pitched us the WC game. He was likely hurt and could have easily packed it in that season. 

This is how an organization forms relationships and shows other players that we care about our players. Let Tillman try in AAA, no harm in that. I think he’ll likely be a coach for us after this year. 

[DrungoHazewood]

1 hour ago, TGO said:

If Tillman wants to keep pitching, Norfolk is as good a place as any for him to be. And from our perspective I don't think we have 5 guys knocking on the door who need the innings at that level.

Tim Melville.  2nd on the Tides in starts.  28 years old.  5.23 AAA ERA.  20 runs in 14.2 MLB innings.

Asher Wojciechowski.  4th on the team in starts.  29.  6.64 MLB ERA in 78.2 innings. 

They have the space.

[atomic]

1 hour ago, Finisher said:

Massive bullets dodged with Tillman, Wieters and Chen.

I bet in a few years we will say same thing about Machado.  Long term free agent contracts mostly turn out poorly as you have to pay more than every other team in the league thinks they are worth.

[Rene88]

I really like Tilly and hope he is able to regain his old form. I am pulling for him. 

[atomic]

21 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Tim Melville.  2nd on the Tides in starts.  28 years old.  5.23 AAA ERA.  20 runs in 14.2 MLB innings.

Asher Wojciechowski.  4th on the team in starts.  29.  6.64 MLB ERA in 78.2 innings. 

They have the space.

But Tillman and our coaches haven't been able to help him figure things out.   Think for him it is best to get some new opinions.  And if no other team thinks they can fix him he is probably broken beyond repair.