|
![TMCNet: Arms not growing on farm: Brewers to discuss how to address issue [BC-BBO-BASECOL-ADV13:MW]](http://images.tmcnet.com/siteart/invisible.gif)
Arms not growing on farm: Brewers to discuss how to address issue [BC-BBO-BASECOL-ADV13:MW]
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) PHOENIX _ The Milwaukee Brewers are not blind to the fact that they have no pitching prospects close to being ready for the major leagues.
And they're going to get together after the season to discuss how that vacuum happened.
Assistant general manager Gord Ash plans to conduct "a pitching symposium" in which all of the organization's pitching coaches, doctors and trainers as well as researchers gather to exchange ideas on developing pitchers.
"It's going to be a blank slate," said Ash. "I've asked for topics and ideas.
"Hopefully, it will be a no-holds-barred discussion, but at the end of it somebody has to say, 'This is what we're going to do."'
The Brewers have three home-grown pitchers on their major league staff _ starters Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra, and reliever Mitch Stetter . Ash said that's not an extraordinarily low number, when you look around at the 30 clubs.
What the Brewers lack is a second wave on the horizon. There have been some setbacks, such as Mark Rogers ' two shoulder surgeries and Jeremy Jeffress ' predilection for smoking marijuana, but that's no excuse for having such a large gap on the pitching front.
Ash wants to learn if the Brewers are doing anything fundamentally that has slowed the progress of pitching prospects. One tactic that will be discussed is the use of young starters in tandem, with each pitching half a game to limit the number of pitches thrown.
"We had one of these symposiums about four years ago," said Ash. "From that one, we came up with the idea of tandems in the lower levels.
"Now that we've had some history with tandems, we want to review that. Is it a good thing? Not a good thing?"
In an effort to limit injuries to young pitchers, the Brewers have restricted them to low pitch counts in games. But players have still broken down, including Rogers and promising left-hander Zach Braddock, who has had shoulder and elbow issues.
Ash said a novel thought by general manager Doug Melvin will be batted around.
"Doug has this idea that starters never get the feel of what it's like to pitch in the eighth and ninth innings (in the minors)," said Ash.
"He's had this long-held idea that it might be a good idea to start (games) with the bullpen and have the starter come in, in the fourth inning and having him pitch four through nine."
With input from farm director Reid Nichols and minor-league pitching coordinator Lee Tunnell, each pitching coach in the system will be evaluated to assure proper techniques and approaches are being conveyed to prospects. The main objective is to make sure everyone is on the same page.
"What you can't forget is that a big part of the equation is the player himself," said Ash. "I think you have to be satisfied that (instructors) work hard, that they are intensive in their approach.
"If you're sitting in the clubhouse playing cards or watching TV, you're not working at it. Beyond throwing bullpens and sides, there's video work and enough research from games where you can print out the guy's game and see where was he in the strike zone and things like that.
"We'll exchange ideas and come up with what our game plan is going to be. I don't expect it to be revolutionary. I just want to refine it and make sure we're all on the same page, even to the point of recruitment."
In other words, scouting. Scouting director Bruce Seid and pitching instructor/scout Jim Rooney will give input on the types of young pitchers to pursue.
A commitment was made this year to find big-body, workhorse types, which is why Indiana's Eric Arnett was taken in the first round and Kennesaw State's Kyle Heckathorn in the supplemental first round.
The Brewers also hope to fill their pitching void sooner than might be expected. Finally healthy, Rogers turned the corner this year at Class A Brevard County (1.67 ERA in 23 games but only 642/3 innings) and was sent to the Arizona Fall League with Braddock and right-hander Josh Butler, the most pleasant pitching surprise in the system.
"This isn't unique to the Brewers," said Ash. "If you look throughout baseball at the number of home-grown pitchers (in starting rotations), there aren't that many.
"In Toronto, (Roy) Halladay and (Chris) Carpenter (now with St. Louis) took forever but once they got there, they were sensational. You run out of patience, you run out of (minor-league) options. Guys get hurt.
"Mark Rogers might eventually be the kind of payoff at this level you expect from a No. 1. It's just going to take a long time."
Staying with it
Reliever John Axford, recently called up by the Brewers, is an example of why you look under every rock for pitchers. Axford was drafted out of high school in the seventh round in 2001 by Seattle but chose to attend Notre Dame. At the outset of his junior season, he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and had "Tommy John" reconstructive surgery.
"I was looking forward to that year, obviously my draft year," he recalled. "I threw a curveball and knew it right away. I just walked off the mound."
Returning for his senior year, Axford threw only three innings. His arm wasn't coming around, and he couldn't find a comfortable arm slot after so much time off. Cincinnati selected Axford in the 42nd round in 2005 as a draft-and-follow, believing he would return to Notre Dame for an extra year of eligibility.
But the native Canadian's scholarship was not renewed, so he transferred to Canisius College, closer to his home in Ontario.
"It was an up-and-down year, mostly down," said Axford. "It was a tough road back. I was trying to figure things out."
That summer, Axford pitched in the Western Major Baseball League, a Canadian circuit for both pros and amateurs. The New York Yankees saw him and signed him but didn't like what they saw in the low minors in 2007 and released him.
"They told me in all honesty they had time and money invested in other players and it probably would be better for me to go to another organization," he said.
A Brewers scout later saw Axford in an indoor workout and he was invited to throw at the team's training facility here. He was signed and sent to Brevard County, beginning an impressive progression to Class AA Huntsville and Class AAA Nashville, followed by his first call-up to the majors last week.
"Things were tough for awhile," said Axford, who was 9-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 45 games at those three minor-league stops. "Now, things are turning out for me. You want to get here. Things moved quickly. It's been a good year."
It starts with starters
One big reason it will be easier for the Chicago Cubs to bounce back in 2010 than the Brewers: starting pitching. Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden (upcoming free agent) are established winners in the big leagues. And Randy Wells ' rookie season (10-8, 2.84) has been a pleasant surprise.
"Our starting rotation is certainly not the reason we're not in higher contention now," general manager Jim Hendry told reporters.
"The (everyday players) who haven't had the same quality years we're used to, I'm assuming are capable of bouncing back next year. We're certainly not an aging team. Our pitching coming up through the system is good too."
The crosstown White Sox also have a strong, established rotation around which to build their 2010 team. Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks and Gavin Floyd are under contract, and Freddy Garcia has impressed enough of late to project as the No. 5 starter.
When you look at those rotations, you see just how far the Brewers must come to return to contending mode.
The agony of defeat
The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting well-deserved bricks and bats thrown their way for setting a new mark for futility with 17 consecutive losing seasons. But, in the other league, the Baltimore Orioles have been quite stinky for an extended period, also.
With a 10-0 whipping by Boston on Tuesday, the Orioles clinched their 12th consecutive losing season. It is the longest current streak in the AL and the longest in club history for a once-proud franchise.
Technically, it's not the first 12-year skid for the franchise. The St. Louis Browns, who transferred to Baltimore in 1954, experienced 12 losers in a row from 1930-'41. And the Browns/Orioles of 1946-'59 recorded 14 consecutive losing campaigns.
Still, for the Orioles, it's the longest such streak in their 55 years of existence.
"I've been here the longest. It's frustrating," said third baseman Melvin Mora, an Oriole since 2000. "Every time you look at the scoreboard and you see your team 32 or 33 games behind, it's kind of ridiculous.
"Right now, we're just fighting to not lose 100 games. That's never happened to me before, but what can I say? I cannot say, 'Go have fun,' because you cannot have fun when you're 32 games out."
The Orioles are the 11th team in modern history with a streak of 12 or more losing seasons. The Brewers "accomplished" that dubious feat from 1993-2004 before finally breaking free of their dual death march with Pittsburgh.
___
(c) 2009, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Visit JSOnline, the Journal Sentinel's World Wide Web site, at http://www.jsonline.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
_____
PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):
"BASEBALL"
KeyWords:: BC-BBO-BASECOL-ADV13:MW BC BBO BASECOL ADV13 MW
[ Back To Homepage ]
|
