Loewen unimpressive again

[Scotto]

If Loewen is traded, wouldn't his new team be required to keep him in ML next year or lose him? My guess is no team would be willing to give up very much with those conditions. Let's see what happens through the first half here before we ship him off for a journeyman minor leaguer.

[NewMarketSean]

This may not sound like me, but everyone needs to relax when it comes to Loewen. So he's had 2 bad games back to back....

What were his walks like? As long as he keeps those down and throws the ball over the plate, he will learn how to get batters out.

I just wish there was a way to get him some time with Mazzone.

[McLovin]

66 - I would definitely support your statement that there are plenty of 'Loewen = Cy Young' type threads when he does well. Probably quite a few from the same people who want to trade him today (not singling anyone out).

I definitely disagree that he is a failure. We're talking about a high school pick here. All he's done every year is progress. What more can you ask for? He's been dominant at times, and ineffective at others. He's going to be inconsistent for a few more years, and I'm ok with that.

As for last year being a succes, it was by a large measure. He pitched his most innings ever, overcame a labrum injury, and had one of the most dominant GB/FB ratios (a very important measure) in the minors.

So long as he gets in about 150 innings this year, with a decent ERA and good ratios, I'll be happy. And even if he doesn't, I'll still want to see things through with him.

[DocJJ]

How can he be so good one day, and so awful the next? He's infuriating. If you can get a grade A player in return, deal him so he can infuriate some other organization.

[PaulFolk]

How can he be so good one day, and so awful the next?

Yep. I'll bet he's the only prospect in the history of the game to ever do this.

[Sports Guy]

it only takes one team that loves the guy ..He and Penn as a start for Dontrelle Willis , if he really is on the move.

LOl...No thanks. Domtrelle is a little overrated.

[Frobby]

66 - I would definitely support your statement that there are plenty of 'Loewen = Cy Young' type threads when he does well. Probably quite a few from the same people who want to trade him today (not singling anyone out).

I definitely disagree that he is a failure. We're talking about a high school pick here. All he's done every year is progress. What more can you ask for? He's been dominant at times, and ineffective at others. He's going to be inconsistent for a few more years, and I'm ok with that.

As for last year being a succes, it was by a large measure. He pitched his most innings ever, overcame a labrum injury, and had one of the most dominant GB/FB ratios (a very important measure) in the minors.

So long as he gets in about 150 innings this year, with a decent ERA and good ratios, I'll be happy. And even if he doesn't, I'll still want to see things through with him.

This is a very good, balanced post. We all wish Loewen were more consistent and had progressed faster. There is no doubt that he hasn't come along as quickly as we might have hoped for a no. 4 pick in the draft. It's certainly possible that he will never develop the consistent command that he will need to perform well in the majors. And we don't have the luxury of leaving him in the minors in 2007.

With all that said, this is a kid who (1) was the most dominant pitcher in the Arizona Fall League, (2) shut out the U.S. national team in the WBC over 4 innings, (3) already pitched a game this year where he allowed one hit and one other fly ball while recording 23 outs via strikeout or ground out. And he just turned 22 about a week ago! At the same age, Daniel Cabrera was getting smacked around -- at Delmarva! And 12 months later he was in the majors. You don't give up easily on kids with talent like this, even though they may never realize their potential.

[Sports Guy]

He hasn't progressed like we thought?

I am very happy by his progress. He will be here next year and will prove that he belongs.

To call him a failure is a joke IMO.

Had he not had the labrum problem, he may be in Baltimore right now.

His K rate, HR rate and GB/fb ratio are way more important than his ERA.

[Frobby]

Counterpoint....

I'm seen people refer to his mid 90's fastball. And yet, over and over again, we get reports of 90-91 all of last year from the HO itself. We see at the WBC that he never cracked 90. We get reports from fans, this year, of Loewen pitching 88-91 on the radar gun...

I will buy everything else you said in your post, but I really don't care what the radar gun says. You don't strike out 12 guys and induce 11 ground outs unless your stuff is very tough to hit for whatever reason, whether velocity, movement or something else. I'm far more worried about Loewen's command than I am about what the radar gun says.

[66-70-83-??]

66 - I would definitely support your statement that there are plenty of 'Loewen = Cy Young' type threads when he does well. Probably quite a few from the same people who want to trade him today (not singling anyone out).

I definitely disagree that he is a failure. We're talking about a high school pick here. All he's done every year is progress. What more can you ask for? He's been dominant at times, and ineffective at others. He's going to be inconsistent for a few more years, and I'm ok with that.

As for last year being a succes, it was by a large measure. He pitched his most innings ever, overcame a labrum injury, and had one of the most dominant GB/FB ratios (a very important measure) in the minors.

So long as he gets in about 150 innings this year, with a decent ERA and good ratios, I'll be happy. And even if he doesn't, I'll still want to see things through with him.

I never said he was a "failure".

What I said was:

The bottom line is that he IS a disappointment. He IS underacheiving.

His career isn't over yet and he can still turn it around. But, the Orioles can NOT be happy with the progression of his career to this point.

[Gaz]

I personally think he needs to get away from Mcgregor and with Mazzone ASAP to get his mechanics back in order. I don't know why they sent him right to minor league camp after the WBC. They should of left him up with the big guys to get some more work with Mazzone.

Either way, if he get's to work with him soon or has to wait until later this summer, I'm sure things will work out for him. He will bounce back, it's still early in the year. Atleast he's gotten hit in his last to games and hasn't really walked the park. 4 walks in 16.1 innings isn't horrible to go with 20 k's, and it's a good sign for a pitcher with control problems to be getting hit if you know what I mean.

[sonderweg]

I would respond with my usual litany of how Loewen had 8 bad starts last year, all coming the three short blocks, and an ERA under 2.00 in his other 26 starts. But if I went into those details Tony would rightfully get on my case for repeating the same detailed post once a month.

is.

Unless you were exaggerating, I'd also wonder where you got those figures, since Loewen only had 27 total starts last year:

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/L/adam-loewen.shtml

[Sports Guy]

I

His career isn't over yet and he can still turn it around. But, the Orioles can NOT be happy with the progression of his career to this point.

This is bs. He is exactly where he should.

[Gaz]

I don't know McGregor at all but Adam just doesn't pitch like he used to. I see the changes in his mechanics and it's night and day compared to a few years ago. If Mazzone wants him to be a power pitcher, then he needs to start working with him to get back the 93-95 mph fastball he had as an 18 year old. No offense to McGregor, he obviously knows a lot more then I do, but his stuff doesn't seem to be working to well for Loewen.

[Sports Guy]

How can you say he's exactly where he should be? Loewen was supposed to be a polished pitcher when he signed. He likely would have made it up to Frederick at the start of 2004 or at least by the halfway mark, and then would have pitched at Bowie in 2005. He's probably a year behind what the team originally had hoped for, although they might not admit it. Also, there's no doubt the Orioles did not expect him to be the project that he has become. Perhaps he's over his control problems now, but it's something the team never envisioned, at least not to the extent that the problem existed. He has not exactly where he should be although it's not the end of the world.

He had a labrum problem that held him back.

He is in perfect position to be here next year and maybe by the end of this year.