Shintaro Fujinami

[emmett16]

I’m still dumbfounded BP guys warm up w/o a batter standing in the box emulating a batter.  Seems to me you need to make the warm up experience as similar to the game as possible.  
 

But it’s not rocket science.  As @Frobby said after 2-3 pitches you know what kind of an outing it’s going to be.  I’d like to see the quick hook when it’s obvious things are going to go south.  Keeping him in is a double whammy.  He pitches poorly in a tight game + in doing so he can’t pitch the next day or potentially day after.   

[sportsfan8703]

Fuji is not a good fit in our pen. Even at best he is too similar to Bautista, which makes Bautista worse. He can’t get outs versus good teams. Elias really needs to figure out how to diversify the pen. Webb is a different look. So his Givens. So is Baker. Hopefully, someone hits waivers that is a fit. 

[turtlebowl]

9 minutes ago, emmett16 said:

I’m still dumbfounded BP guys warm up w/o a batter standing in the box emulating a batter.  Seems to me you need to make the warm up experience as similar to the game as possible.  
 

But it’s not rocket science.  As @Frobby said after 2-3 pitches you know what kind of an outing it’s going to be.  I’d like to see the quick hook when it’s obvious things are going to go south.  Keeping him in is a double whammy.  He pitches poorly in a tight game + in doing so he can’t pitch the next day or potentially day after.   

You do need to leave him in for 3 hitters because of the new rules.  In a close game that will kill you if he is walking everyone.

To me he just looks like a guy that is full of anxiety.  As soon as he walks a guy, especially in a tight game, you can see his body language and it tells you he is very uncomfortable.  I don't think he is a guy that you can depend on in a high leverage situation so saying that how valuable is he to the team?

Truthfully the last 2 games have been possibly lost by coaching decisions.  Tuesday night was having an inexperienced Mateo in center when we are trying to protect a lead and last night was bringing a inconsistent Fuji into a tight game against one of the best offensive teams in baseball.  Maybe we lose both games regardless of these moves but I almost feel like we are running tryouts and you can't do that against the Astro's. 

[glenn__davis]

7 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Fuji is not a good fit in our pen. Even at best he is too similar to Bautista, which makes Bautista worse. He can’t get outs versus good teams. Elias really needs to figure out how to diversify the pen. Webb is a different look. So his Givens. So is Baker. Hopefully, someone hits waivers that is a fit. 

I don't think a different look is all that critical in the pen.  Hitters are almost never seeing the same guy twice.

[Sports Guy]

5 minutes ago, glenn__davis said:

I don't think a different look is all that critical in the pen.  Hitters are almost never seeing the same guy twice.

Yea, I am perfectly fine with multiple guys throwing triple digits with hammer splitters that have good command and miss bats.

Thats the least of our concerns.

[sportsfan8703]

5 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Yea, I am perfectly fine with multiple guys throwing triple digits with hammer splitters that have good command and miss bats.

Thats the least of our concerns.

That’s part of the reason that made that 2014-2016 bullpen so good. 

Britton - power lefty

Brach - 3/4 over the top

O’day - submariner

Givens - side arm 

Fuji not only can’t throw strikes but being as he isn’t our 8th inning guy, guys are seeing 100+ FB/Split arsenal a 2nd time when Bautista comes in 2-3 innings later. It’s too much of the same. However, the fit really doesn’t matter because Fuji has zero command on the reg. 

[DirtyBird]

This guy is just mentally weak

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, DirtyBird said:

This guy is just mentally weak

Or he just has issues with his command.

But hey, let's pretend to know this guy we've seen on TV a few times.

[DirtyBird]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Or he just has issues with his command.

But hey, let's pretend to know this guy we've seen on TV a few times.

Yes - a guy that goes to a post game interview talking about how he was nervous and the pressure got to him isn't built to be a relief pitcher.

A guy who jumps up and down after each close miss isn't built to be a relief pitcher.

There is a reason that he has issues with his command that isn't physical.

[dystopia]

45 minutes ago, emmett16 said:

I’m still dumbfounded BP guys warm up w/o a batter standing in the box emulating a batter.  Seems to me you need to make the warm up experience as similar to the game as possible.  
 

But it’s not rocket science.  As @Frobby said after 2-3 pitches you know what kind of an outing it’s going to be.  I’d like to see the quick hook when it’s obvious things are going to go south.  Keeping him in is a double whammy.  He pitches poorly in a tight game + in doing so he can’t pitch the next day or potentially day after.   

Then when a bullpen batter gets hurt by a HBP it's the stupidest thing ever. 

[Aristotelian]

40 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Yea, I am perfectly fine with multiple guys throwing triple digits with hammer splitters that have good command and miss bats.

Thats the least of our concerns.

+1, I'd take a bullpen full os seven Bautista's any day, as long as they can throw strikes! 

[bpilktree67]

23 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

That’s part of the reason that made that 2014-2016 bullpen so good. 

Britton - power lefty

Brach - 3/4 over the top

O’day - submariner

Givens - side arm 

Fuji not only can’t throw strikes but being as he isn’t our 8th inning guy, guys are seeing 100+ FB/Split arsenal a 2nd time when Bautista comes in 2-3 innings later. It’s too much of the same. However, the fit really doesn’t matter because Fuji has zero command on the reg. 

The Rays have basically had the same type of bullpen gets the last few years and it has worked out great for them.  Cano and Bautista are not at all alike either.  Bautista throws from over the top with high fast balls and splits in the dirt.  Cano throws 3/4 from the side and wants the ball down in the zone with sink either on the fastball or the change.  Fuji is a mix of the two but the issue has not been giving up hits but more of throwing the ball over the plate.  You can have guys throw that are all different or same  but the key is can you throw the ball over the plate with command so far he doesn't look like he can do that.  

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, emmett16 said:

I’m still dumbfounded BP guys warm up w/o a batter standing in the box emulating a batter.  Seems to me you need to make the warm up experience as similar to the game as possible.  
 

But it’s not rocket science.  As @Frobby said after 2-3 pitches you know what kind of an outing it’s going to be.  I’d like to see the quick hook when it’s obvious things are going to go south.  Keeping him in is a double whammy.  He pitches poorly in a tight game + in doing so he can’t pitch the next day or potentially day after.   

That actually isn't what happened though. He got the first two outs (one of them was hit hard on a good pitch) and it looked like he was head for a quick inning. You could tell something was up after the second guy but is two batters enough time to get Baumann warmed up? Or if he came in cold would we be trashing Hyde for not giving Baumann enough warm up time? (Which has been suggested on this board, I think correctly). 

[DirtyBird]

8 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

That actually isn't what happened though. He got the first two outs (one of them was hit hard on a good pitch) and it looked like he was head for a quick inning. You could tell something was up after the second guy but is two batters enough time to get Baumann warmed up? Or if he came in cold would we be trashing Hyde for not giving Baumann enough warm up time? (Which has been suggested on this board, I think correctly). 

With our guys limited to one inning, shouldn't someone be up and at least getting loose as soon as the guy before him comes in? Especially when it is a guy with a propensity to drill batters.

[Uli2001]

I'm just disappointed that a great season might go sideways because of a faltering bullpen. That area may be Elias' blind spot.