jagtrader wrote:Regardless of spring training results, I've always been excited about this rotation. I think it has great potential.
I'm starting to come around on the pitching as well, not so much by the ST results but just by calming down and thinking through some things.
My opinion of ST performance: Meaningless. It's probably not completely meaningless, but for all practical purposes I put just about nothing into ST results.
Not saying it's going to happen, but what if all 5 starters are really throwing this well when Mulder comes back? Not saying I expect them to keep a 0.96 ERA for the entire year but I do think its possible all of them have ERAs below 4.30. If that's the case, do you think its just a given that Looper will be bounced back to the pen when Mulder is healthy? I could see a scenario where they would bump Reyes.
I wouldn't be that surprised if Mulder couldn't find a way into the rotation this season. First, because I don't think he'll be very good even when healthy. Second, assuming everyone on the staff is healthy, he's not definitely better than anyone except Looper.
But, health is always an issue, and I think that come July a starter is going to go down for a couple games or a couple weeks, and Mulder will be able to ease his way back in.
But, for those who are waiting for Mulder, please don't get your hopes up. There's not a lot pitchers come back from shoulder surgeries and regain their old form. Even fewer come back and have success the first season back. It takes awhile to relearn how to pitch and regain his old mechanics. Remember, his mechanics have been out of whack for about 2 years. That's a lot of old habits that are awful hard to break in a few rehab starts.
