Peter Moylan
Another player from whom I don’t know what to expect, though for different reasons than some. There aren’t many pitchers like him — submariners/sidearmers who throw really hard — and he’d already had arm trouble. So I have no way of knowing how he’ll come back from Tommy John surgery, though it’s surprising that the Braves seem to think he’ll be ready to start the season.
Moylan was pretty sensational in 2007, though his 1.80 ERA overstates his effectiveness; a third of the runs scored off him were judged “unearned”. His strikeout rate was pretty low, but he was hard to get good contact on, resulting in lots of weak ground balls and a high double play rate. He started out 2008 the same way, but was quickly shut down and then it turned out he needed surgery. It was just the beginning of the injury cascade in the pitching staff that would wipe out the season.
A lot of the blame for Moylan’s injury in 2008 was put on Bobby for overusing him in 2007. Ninety innings in eighty appearances (plus one two-inning appearance in the minors) really isn’t that much, but there were a lot of times when he didn’t get much rest, particularly late in the season. I count six times from July 26 on when he was used three days in a row, and one where he was used four days. That sort of thing can lead to injury. Of course, Bobby has always used up his sidearmers, and except for pseudo-sidearmer Greg McMichael, none of them has lasted too long. Bobby’s formative experiences managing against sidearmers were mostly facing guys like Tekulve and Quisenberry, who could throw 120 innings a year with seemingly no ill effect — Tekulve was second on the appearances list to Wilhelm when he retired, and still holds the record for most career innings pitched without a start — but most sidearmers aren’t that indestructable.
My guess is that Moylan, like most TJ cases, will have control difficulties. If that’s the case, it could lead to more walks, but the worst-case scenario is that it makes him homer-prone. If there was one crack in his armor in 2007, it was that he sometimes elevated the ball against righthanded hitters, and they teed off on him. Even though (thanks in part to pinch-hitters) he’s faced nearly as many lefthanders as righthanders in his career, seven of the eight homers he’s allowed — including all six in 2007 — have come from righthanded hitters.
Moylan is like Diaz for me, one of the guys I love to pull for because things don’t appear to come easy AND they seem like they’re having a good time doing it… AND I just love the story for Moylan with the whole pharmaceutical rep gig. I hope he rebounds well and gets to contribute in 09
March 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pmMoylan’s among my favorites to pull for too. I hope he has it together (for his sake and the sake of the bullpen).
March 19th, 2009 at 3:17 pmOhman apparently wants 1.75M + 1M in incentives. Pedro wants 6-8M. Not sure either are going to get it… but I hope Ohman does.
March 19th, 2009 at 3:55 pmI like Moylan because he looks like an accountant with a soul patch.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:14 pmI like Moylan because he’s an Ozzie.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:20 pmInvestment looking really good:
Kawakami scratched from exhibition start | ajc.com
March 19th, 2009 at 4:21 pmHas anyone seen Moylan’s stuff in action yet this spring? If he doesn’t throw his fastball 93mph with extra hard sink, then he’s not going to be nearly as effective.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:32 pmI don’t blame Bobby for using Moylan so much in 07. He was an out machine – with guys on first Moylan was great at coming in and recording more outs than batters faced.
Darn it. I like Kawa. I stuck my neck out to talk about how good he’ll be. This is what I get for having possibly wrong opinions.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:32 pmwell… this is why we’ve got so many extra starters around.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:32 pmThat’s what we get for signing a 33 year old 5 foot 10 pitcher from Japan and thinking it was going to be GREAT.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pmIt’s a little premature to assume he’s really hurt. I mean, it’s not good news, but he’s already said he would have pitched if it were the regular season. Just taking the extra precaution Spring Training affords.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:49 pmStu, please don’t try to be reasonable here. Isn’t it obvious we wasted 23 million dollars? No one ever experiences shoulder fatigue in spring training. Face it, our season is over before it even began.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:16 pmshit! dob just reported uab doctors had to amputate kawakami’s arm. they said that it was showing signs of “disappointment”. what a waste of 23 million dollars.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:24 pmMoylan is my fave player. I shall always pull for him, Brave or not<3
March 19th, 2009 at 5:36 pmYay Francouer! Way to swing at the first pitch with two on for the out!
March 19th, 2009 at 6:19 pmWill Carroll twittered about having some concern about Hansen’s delivery. Hopefully it ends up being nothing.
March 19th, 2009 at 6:22 pmI don’t trust anyone who twitters.
March 19th, 2009 at 7:13 pmHey, if the Chief says it’s time to panic, it’s time to panic. That guy’s got a level head.
Twittering is worthless.
March 19th, 2009 at 7:25 pmI never make rash observations…:P
March 19th, 2009 at 8:21 pmIt’s amazing – Frenchy got a double today, ending one of the longest streaks for singles I have ever seen…
March 19th, 2009 at 8:26 pmHis power has literally eroded. For a strong fast guy in HS, he’s slow and weak, now.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:28 pmi’ve got it…..the chameleon (kawakami’s nickname). think of the song lyrics from culture club.
kawa-kawa-kawa-kawa-kawakaml-leon
it’s fast or slow?
noone will know oh oh
i dont have the time to finish the song but you get the point.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:31 pmI’ll give it a try, Ryan…
Guessing shuuto in this count all the way
If I time to your fastball would you say
I’m a fan without conviction
I’m a fan who doesn’t know
Your name with proper diction
You rear and throw
You rear and throw
Kawa Kawa Kawa Kawa Kawakami-leon
You rear and throw
You rear and throw
Rooting would be easy if your pitches were like my team’s
Slider, change and cheese
Slider, change and cheese
Didn’t watch your filthy pitches every day
And you used to be healthy I heard you say
That the chop was an addiction
When we cheer our voice is strong
When you’re gassed you’re gone forever
You shower on
You shower on
Hating Mets is like survival
You’re our pitcher not our rival
Hating Mets is like survival
You’re our pitcher not our rival
I’m a fan without conviction
March 19th, 2009 at 8:55 pmI’m a fan who doesn’t know
Your name with proper diction
You rear and throw
You rear and throw
#20, sadly for Jeff, Heyward showed he could field too by taking away a home run in the 9th.
Tbh, I’ve no idea how I’d feel if I was him. Here you are, thinking you’re great and going to be the franchise player for a decade. Then you realise you haven’t actually done that well, and one of the top prospects in all of baseball is a year away and plays in your position.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:59 pmalex, good job. if that doesnt solidify his nickname, then he has no hope, and he will get bobbied with “kenny”.
i still like “it’s fast or slow, no one will know” as the chorus to support the nickname, although “rear and throw” is much more fun to say.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:00 pmHonestly, we had to overpay to get anyone to come to play in Atlanta. Signing Kawakami is more than just for his baseball talent, it’s for the Braves to break into the Japanese talent/commercial market. It’s a right step to do as an organization.
Besides, nobody expects him to be GREAT…at least I never have…I expect him to be a decent 4th starter.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:27 pmAt any rate, Vazquez looked strong. I just hope he didn’t use up too much in the WBC. And two Ks for Soriano!
Bill James, on Francoeur:
March 19th, 2009 at 9:41 pmhey #6 … yea thats what i thought .. I think we jumped a bit soon on kawikami .. hanson would look good in that spot .. Lowe, Vasquez, Jurggins,Hanson and Glavine .. we could have save 8 mil and made a real run at a power hitter for middle of lineup. we always have campillo and reyes as backups .. i think wren was afaid he wasnt going to anybody … thoughts ???
March 19th, 2009 at 9:49 pmAs I said Tad, the Braves need to start signing some good japanese players. Whether Kawakami is the right player to start the trend, that’s a different subject.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:56 pm#27 I doubt any pitcher can be over-used in WBC…
…on that quote from James, tell that to Bobby!!!
March 19th, 2009 at 9:57 pm@28 – It was a good signing for the Braves, whether the guy pans out or not. Just having your foot in the door in the Japanese market will help in the future.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:08 pmWell done, AAR
March 19th, 2009 at 10:13 pm#31 guess you are right .. there might be another japanese star that may want to play with kawikami the 2 years after this year .. who knows … our offense has been good in spring .. if we hit like that and pitch like that we are gonna be in it with phils and mets .. but i dont see us hitting like that consistently ..
March 19th, 2009 at 10:23 pmThe appeal of Boy George is one of the things that I’ll go to my grave not understanding …
That and bringing in Liebrandt to face Puckett.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:24 pm#33 The Braves have to start importing Japanese talents at some point (we are way behind in this area in my opinion). It’s better to start sooner rather than later.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:47 pmI love Kenshin. He’s been bringing me some great Sesame Chicken into the clubhouse on the days he has bullpen sessions. Love that guy.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:59 pmUm, not funny. On many levels.
But yeah, one of the few things I like about the Liberty era is the international scouting and signings. Hey, we don’t have TBS anymore but we can gain new, lifelong, fans through prudent and targeted signings of players like Kenshin. Snowball effect, undervalued asset, etc.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:59 pmIts too early to give up on Kawakami…I also like Moylan, but the control issues are something to keep an eye on….
March 20th, 2009 at 12:11 amNice sports day.
I got to start mine in Port Charlotte where I got to see both Ludwick and Ankiel go yard on Kazmir.
(Wistful pause)
And then, college basketball. Lots of college basketball. Right up to that WKU win which I picked as a 5-12 upset in my pool. They had me worried at the ende, though.
March 20th, 2009 at 12:24 amWhitey Lockeman has died:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/sports/baseball/20lockman.html?ref=obituaries
Nice obit–including the Bobby Thompson HR in 1951…
March 20th, 2009 at 12:29 amI mostly recall Lockman as the Cubs manager who came after Leo Durocher.
I spent much of the summer of ‘73 in Chicago with my grandma, who was a die-hard Cubs fan, and we watched a ton of games that year with Lockman at the helm. Nobody wanted to win the NL East—the Mets ended up with 82 wins & the division title—so the mediocre Cubs, with guys like Carmen Fanzone, were in the race much of the year.
Then I discovered APBA’s great teams of the past & really got to enjoy the ‘54 Giants. Lockman was the leadoff-hitting 1B for that team, still the last WS winner for the Giants franchise.
Helluva team, actually. Sal Maglie, Johnny Antonelli, Hoyt Wilhelm, Monte Irvin, Hank Thompson, Don Mueller, Alvin Dark.
Of course, most people think of Willie Mays, who was the MVP that year. But I’ll always think of Dusty Rhodes, who had a ridiculous season and post-season, though in limited play—a real one-season wonder, like the ‘57 Braves’ Hurricane Hazle.
March 20th, 2009 at 1:08 am#41–Yeah, until I read the obit–Lockman was the Cubs’ manager in the early 70s. In fact, it is one thing to have enabled Bobby Thompson to come to the plate and quite another to have managed a team in old NL East. I think Lockman certainly deserves to be remembered for both–especially the latter….
March 20th, 2009 at 1:19 amI can’t wait to see The Mohel in action… but I hope they’re taking every precaution coming back this soon.
You never know what to expect from Braves relievers, but I have a completely irrational faith in Peter’s right arm.
March 20th, 2009 at 2:07 amI have thought for a long while that the greatest “knockers” of successful people were us Aussies. Having read some of the “crap” that has been posted on this site recently I have to concede that some of you guys are gold medal standard dickheads! If you are “dinkum” supporters of the Braves why don’t you show some faith in the people charged with the responsibility of managing our Bravos. Don’t concern yourselves with what we DON’T HAVE, let’s work with what we DO HAVE!!! One quality that Aussies (and other nationalities who believe in the same values) have in large lumps is the capacity to battlle the odds – and to “shove it up” the faint-hearted doom-sayers. I know it’s early days but I have every confidence we will be on the top end of the Eastern Division at the business end of this season – where it really counts.
March 20th, 2009 at 6:56 amEarly risers – let’s have some feedback
March 20th, 2009 at 7:46 amBaseball:
We know Japan talent is going to be a revenue stream we’ll need to tap, Kawakami was a good start to that. And, as others have pointed out it’s not like he’s OUT, just a shoulder issue in spring.
Are we big in Australia yet? I don’t think they’ll be the obsessed fan revenue generator that Japan will be, but are there other teams with Aussie players?
Twitter:
Am I the only person here who appreciates twitter? I have no interest in connecting with old acquaintances through facebook, if I still cared about them and what they’re doing all that much I’d still be in touch, but twitter is a perfect way to get:
A) a tiny bit of information about people who I know without feeling some obligation to converse with them ad nauseum.
B) breaking news info (the near misses with the ISS and satellite debris were all over twitter in real time and CNN and Fox could barely get a graphic up on screen before it was all over)
C) smart-ass comments and semi-dirty jokes… really, the thing that sold me on twitter was how many times I was amused reading something… like an on-demand stand-up routine whenever work gets obnoxious.
D) I get to read the thoughts of Cobra Commander, Darth Vader, TheLordYourGod, Satan, AND GodTheFather… and yeah… that’s probably just a duplicate of C.
Edit:
March 20th, 2009 at 7:54 amBad Dreams:
had a horrible nightmare last night that McCann was a Red Sox too… very visual dream with him in the uniform and doing interviews. Woke up quite depressed until I realized it was just a bad dream.
@6
Oh no! While reading that article I kept waiting for, “If this were the regular season he would start,” said Cox. “But it was kind of hot and Dr. Andrews called from Birmingham and said he would really like to meet the kid, so we flew him up there.”
Then three days later find out that Shredder was out for a year and a half.
March 20th, 2009 at 8:42 amLet’s face it. Kawakami will require a very high level of maintanence by Bobby…skipping starts once a while, five-day rest between starts…if Bobby will do that, I think Kammy will be very good. I don’t think Kammy can give the Braves 200+ innings, but I think he will be very good if Bobby limits him to around 180 innings for the season.
At the end of the day, the guy is 33 years old and he is no Lowe for sure. Putting him and Glavine together in the rotation, we will see plenty of Campy/Morton/Reyes/Hanson over the season.
March 20th, 2009 at 9:21 amWe basically need 20-25 starts from Kawakami, considering that Hudson will be back at some point and Hanson’s assured of a rotation spot at some point. (Undoubtedly, someone will get injured. Equally undoubtedly, Glavine, Reyes, Morton, Carlyle, and Bennett will combine for 20-30 starts themselves.)
If Kawa can give us 25 starts with an ERA around 4, he will be A.J. Burnett at half the price. That’s probably a bit better than he’ll actually be, but it’s a good way of thinking about the money we’re paying him.
March 20th, 2009 at 9:54 amIf Kawakami gets hurt, can we sign Kenny Powers? I hear he’s a free agent and he’s sick of living with his brother & sister-in-law in North Carolina…
As for Moylan, love him when he’s healthy…but his time with the Braves is limited considering WHO his agents are.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:22 amI’d rather we signed Screech Powers.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:33 amI knew the Royals were going to sign Lerew, but it still kind of surprises me they actually did.
Has Dayton Moore’s “obsession” with former Braves hurt the Royals?
March 20th, 2009 at 10:45 amAndruw Jones may have become available today – I suspect dayton will be giving him a good look!
March 20th, 2009 at 11:11 amFYI: Anybody in Atlanta, The Aquarium has a twitter/”Social Media” discount that runs through today. Tickets for $15 (good till end of year): http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/acb/stores/1/newclubfishlink.aspx?Conv_Id=247
March 20th, 2009 at 12:14 pmDavid Wright really does not look right in a Mets uniform…
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2009/news/story?id=3999406
March 20th, 2009 at 2:40 pmHeyward with a 2-run jack. He might be pretty good.
March 20th, 2009 at 2:44 pmFunny thing is, if there’s anyone who HAS silenced his critics this spring, it’s Jason Heyward — and yet, somehow, Mark Bowman has failed to recognize that.
I mean, unlike everyone else that Peanut has ever used that stupid phrase on, literally no one in the world is criticizing Jason Heyward.
Not to give Bowman any ideas…
March 20th, 2009 at 4:04 pmThe most overused Braves hack headline is:
Brave New World.
On that note, from the Stark blog:
BRAVE NEW WORLD: Scouts can’t stop buzzing about the Braves’ young talent, especially dazzling 19-year-old outfield stud Jason Heyward. Here’s one typical review: “Looks like Darryl Strawberry — only with more bat speed.” And another: “Cross between Fred McGriff and Dave Parker.” And another, less serious review: “I think he needs to work on his size.” OK, maybe not. Heyward is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds worth of monstrosity.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:27 pm@57: Has anyone ever criticized Heyward? I heard those McGriff comparisons the day he was drafted. Can’t silence critics that never existed.
I can’t wait for Heyward’s time in Atlanta, but I sure hope we don’t rush him.
Upset Alert: Portland State is going to dismantle Xavier in a couple hours here…
March 20th, 2009 at 4:44 pmI suppose there are “critics” who say he is too young, but I too do not see any critics who need to be silenced.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:57 pm[L]iterally no one in the world is criticizing Jason Heyward.
Somebody, get this man a wife.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:14 pmStu,
That was a great line.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:30 pmBrilliant Stu.
March 20th, 2009 at 5:38 pmIs it just me, or is this the longest Spring Training ever?
March 20th, 2009 at 5:55 pmStu affects to be a regular guy, the sort of fella who complains about the ol’ ball ‘n chain with the bros while drinking shitty beer and watching Vanderbilt preseason warmups — but actually he loves his wife and will praise her if you give him half a chance. Or even if you don’t.
March 20th, 2009 at 6:19 pmYou’ve got me pegged, AAR, but the joke isn’t as funny if people don’t believe I’m speaking from experience.
March 20th, 2009 at 6:48 pmSo, the Fish won, eh?
Here’s a theory: Your Spring Training record is more a reflection of the strength of your farm than the strength of your ML team.
What do you guys think?
At the Rays-Cards game yesterday, I saw a lot of guys play that I haven’t seen on TV, but I have seen on prospect lists. And then there are the journeymen, fighting to make the team. The ones trying to impress seem to be the ones in full competition mode.
March 20th, 2009 at 7:53 pmHere’s a comparison of spring winning percentages to season winning percentages in 2008:
Grapefruit League: http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2624/corr.png
Cactus League: http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3909/corra.png
Glean from it what you can.
March 20th, 2009 at 8:36 pmFor anyone that is interested, and I know its uber short notice but I deleted my Braves Journal Fantasy Team for tomorrow. I’m already in two leagues, couldn’t make the draft tomorrow and have a lot going on a work that I didn’t know I had when the league formed.
Good luck.
March 20th, 2009 at 8:37 pm“Your league will not be permitted to conduct its draft if it contains an odd number of teams.”
this is one of the rules for yahoo’s fantasy leagues. this goes out to smitty, ethan, gadfly, or whoever is the manager of our league. our draft will not happen if we have an odd number.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:19 pmThis looks like propaganda about Brandon Hicks being traded soon: http://tinyurl.com/cx5jld
15 days until Opening Day!
March 20th, 2009 at 10:24 pmWake is fake!
March 20th, 2009 at 10:37 pmI doubt that the Braves trade Hicks because they no longer have a surplus of middle infield prospects. Also, Cox tends to be generous of shortstop prospects–Tony Pena Jr. and Luis Hernandez come to mind…
March 20th, 2009 at 11:28 pmSienna and Wisconsin just screwed up what was a pretty good first round for my tourney. 25 games right in the 1st round instead of 27.
March 21st, 2009 at 12:30 am61 – Stu…brilliant, absolutely brilliant!
March 21st, 2009 at 11:41 amRe @23 Amazing AAR:
That’s the finest piece of writing I’ve seen here since the much admired Bravessaga.
My comments, buried here in the Saturday afternoon wasteland, will little be marked or remembered. But I can tell you honestly that after watching the Braves players in the WBC, I’ve ordered the MLB package. Found a reason to believe.
Ready for the season! Go Braves!
March 21st, 2009 at 11:57 amThey saved the best games of the round for last. Wisconsin and Siena were both awesome last night… (and being in Madison, and hating Ohio State, well, that made it all the more sweet)
March 21st, 2009 at 11:59 amIs it me, or is the first game of the second round of the NCAA Tournament always lousy? At least Duke isn’t involved for once.
March 21st, 2009 at 12:59 pmRoyals’ Pena proud of new citizenship | royals.com: News
March 21st, 2009 at 1:55 pmwhat are the stats nh and pg? they are in my fantasy league and i have no clue what they are.
March 21st, 2009 at 2:07 pmNo Hitter and Perfect Game.
Glavine was apparently struggling to hit 80 on his fastball today. That’s going to speed up a little bit once he pitches a little more, right?
March 21st, 2009 at 2:11 pmNice story on Pena…I am still not sure why the Braves had to release him and keep Corky….
#81–It may be too much to ask–but I just hope that Glavine can give us one half decent season….
March 21st, 2009 at 2:26 pmJanderson added another HR today, Frenchy had a 3run double at one point. Maine and the Mets got rocked, hey its ST, but always fun to beat the Mets like that
March 21st, 2009 at 3:11 pmNot sure how much we can gleam from that game, at least pitching wise. The Mets lineup was truly awful.
March 21st, 2009 at 3:34 pmYeah, Ryan Church, never mistaken for Babe Ruth, was the only real major leaguer in the lineup.
March 21st, 2009 at 3:36 pmActually Daniel Murphy who is a former next door neighbor of mine I’ll bet is more productive this year than any OF that we have and I further predict he will bat .320+
March 21st, 2009 at 5:11 pm@85 – Mets did that on purpose. They want Glavine’s numbers to look decent so that we’ll be stupid enough to put him in our starting rotation. Afterall, he did get the only strikeout of the afternoon.
March 21st, 2009 at 5:14 pm#86
The Met org is crazy about Murphy & he’s a big fan fave around here.
When I was growing up, my next door neighbor wasn’t much of a ballplayer, but he could burp the guitar solo from “Reelin’ in the Years.”
March 21st, 2009 at 5:58 pmububba,
He’s almost Tim Tebow like in his ‘perfectness’. He’s the nicest kid you will ever meet and if work ethic was a scout’s grade, he’d have an 80. Intelligence 80.
March 21st, 2009 at 9:04 pm@81: Jamie Moyer hasn’t hit 80 in a decade and he still manages to do alright.
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 amI hope Glavine can get to at least the mid 80’s. Even then he’ll have to be perfect with location and changing speeds.
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:44 amI just hope Glavine wins more than he loses this year.
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:06 amIf he manages an ERA below 5 it will be a success.
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 am@90: Jamie Moyer and who else?
March 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 amWe’ll see.
@89
Good example.
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 amJamie Moyer is the crazy, out-of-this-world exception to the rule. You have to have amazing control and offspeed pitches and your approach has to be brilliant to get by throwing less than 85, if not 90. Shoot, there are guys on my college team that can’t get by throwing 85, and we just play NCAA D-III and NAIA schools.
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 amWith the way he pitches, Moyer could pitch until he’s 50+ if he wanted to and probably still be effective.
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:43 pmNew thread.
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm