No. 14, Encarnacion/Sojo - The Baseball Thread continues

I am now poking out my mind's eye!

 

I don't know if anyone posted this. Griffey's goodbye letter to the Reds and the fans. Simple and classy.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20080802&content_id=3241632&vkey=pr_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

 

Yes. And injury questions dropped him out of the first round and had people wondering if the bullpen was in fact his best spot.

 

What was he apologizing for in the last paragraph of the letter? I must have missed what he did or said.

 

Was it injuries with Chamberlain in the minors or just problems with his weight? Or both? I remember hearing some concerns that he might have to move from starting to the bullpen because he had trouble staying in shape in the minors, similar to the switch Bobby Jenks had to make on the way up.

 

More on the Prince/Parra dugout dustup:

http://blogs.jsonline.com/brewers/archive/2008/08/05/is-it-a-big-deal.aspx

Apparently, Prince was mad because Parra was about to go to the clubhouse instead of staying in the dugout.

 

Injury concerns in college dropped him in the draft, but the thought was that taking off the extra weight would make a difference.

I think this has more to do with how quickly they converted him than anything else.

 

As long as Ned Yost is still employed, the Brewers are fucked.

Someone play devil's advocate for me and explain what his appeal as a manager is. I'll hang up and listen.

 

It's easy to say in hindsight, but I think they would've been better off if they had sent him down to Triple-A and let him convert there.

 

Agreed

 

Joba was converted to a reliever in the middle of last July at Triple A because the Yankees were desparate for a set-up guy.
He was a starter in his less than a year in the Yankees organization until last June.
But even as a starter he never threw more than 75 pitches in a professional game until his first start this season becuase, like all young pitchers, he was being babied.

 

I think plenty of people raised that concern early in the season and during Spring Training. They knew all along he was going to make the switch, which is why it did not seem like a good idea for him to open the season pitching in relief. Moving from the bullpen to the rotation during the season is every bit as risky as letting him start from day one and perhaps end up throwing 200 innings.

Edit: Spnited also raises a good point. He was babied too much on the way up.