It’s a good thing new Indians’ pitching coach Tim Belcher preached throwing strikes during spring training. Otherwise, the Tribe hurlers would be walking every other hitter they faced.
Belcher certainly has his work cut out for him. Through seven games, his staff has walked 13 more hitters than the next closest American League team. That’s an average of almost two walks per contest more than the teams tied for second most in this category, the White Sox and Mariners.
And it’s not just the bullpen either. The starting pitchers have issued 26 free passes in 39-2/3 innings of work, while the relievers have walked 19 batters in 23 frames.
Checkout some of these strikeout to walk ratios—
Fausto Carmona: 14 innings, 5 strikeouts, 10 walks
Jake Westbrook: 9-2/3 innings, 8 strikeouts, 7 walks
Mitch Talbot: 5 innings, 1 strikeout, 5 walks
Chris Perez: 3 innings, 1 strikeout, 5 walks
Aaron Laffey: 3-1/3 innings, no strikeouts, 2 walks
Joe Smith: 3 innings, 3 strikeouts, 3 walks
Tony Sipp: 2-2/3 innings, 3 strikeouts, 3 walks
Keep in mind that a good pitcher strikes out two batters for every one he walks.
Carmona has showed signs of turning around his performance of the last two years, but even on Monday when he pitched well he walked four hitters while striking out the same number.
Guys like Talbot and Laffey, who aren’t power pitchers, absolutely cannot walk people. This has been a problem with Laffey in the past, who in his career has walked about as many as he has fanned. If Talbot doesn’t throw strikes, he won’t be in the major leagues very long.
The guys like Sipp and Perez are even more troubling. They both have plus stuff. On Monday’s radio broadcast, it was mentioned that Belcher said certain pitchers are giving hitter too much credit. It’s tough to hit a 95-mile an hour fastball. Both Perez and Sipp are falling behind hitters because they are falling in love with their breaking pitches. They miss and they are behind in the count.
That’s a recipe for failure.
The season is just a week old, and already the bullpen has blown two games. Bad bullpens usually mean bad teams. What is disturbing is that this organization doesn’t seem to be able to put together a good relief corps.
We have asked the question before: Is it because they don’t pick the correct guys coming out of camp?
In this case, there are mixed answers. Chris Perez was hot and cold during spring training, and Rafael Perez pitched well in the desert, as did Laffey. Joe Smith had the team made before camp started, but he was mediocre in Arizona, and Sipp had control issues.
The point is this. Shouldn’t a guy like Josh Judy received more of a look? Granted, he has a bit of a sore arm now, but he deserved a longer look.
The 2009 Indians had a bad bullpen, and yet the only newcomer is Jamey Wright, who has had a career of being unable to throw strikes consistently. Unfortunately, besides Judy, there wasn’t anyone else who turned heads in Goodyear. That makes it more odd that the youngster wasn’t given a better shot at making the big club.
Look, it’s early to jump to conclusions. However, walking guys is not the way to win baseball games. Manny Acta knows it. Tim Belcher knows it. Now they just have to get the guys throwing the ball to realize it.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 