Kim's going to the rotation; A record setter goes to the minors

[nyy26wc]

1) The Diamondbacks have moved Miguel Batista into the bullpen. Meanwhile, although MGR Bob Brenly won't admit to yet, it looks like John Patterson and Byung-Hyun Kim are going to be the 4th and 5th starters, behind Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Elmer Dessens.

Brenly also says that if Kim's in the rotation, he's going to be able to pitch out of the bullpen when the 5th starter's spot is skipped. After a 2.94 ERA/18 RSAA in 2001, Kim had a 2.04 ERA/23 RSAA in 72 games in 2002. He has a 3.21 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.38, and 43 RSAA in 236 games.

Kim's 41 RSAA over the past couple of years ranked 2nd in the majors among relievers--

RSAA        
1    Octavio Dotel                48 
2    Byung-Hyun Kim               41  
3    Keith Foulke                 36  
T4   Arthur Rhodes                32  
T4   Steve Karsay                 32  
6    Mike Remlinger               30  
T7   Troy Percival                29  
T7   Mike Stanton                 29  
T9   Billy Wagner                 28  
T9   Jason Grimsley               28  

2) Cubs P Antonio Alfonseca has a strained right hamstring and is expected to be out for at least 6 weeks.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry says the team won't try to make a trade to replace him.

3) The Marlins sent OF Chris Wakeland, C Paul Hoover and Ps Doug Bochtler and Mike Judd to the minors.

4) The Marlins have named Josh Beckett as the Opening Day starter.

Beckett, who turns 23 in May, is one of the highest regarded young pitchers in baseball. After starting his career with a 1.50 ERA/7 RSAA in 4 starts as a September callup in 2001, he had a 4.10 ERA/-1 RSAA in 21 starts (23 games) as a rookie in 2002.

5) The Padres signed OF Mark Quinn to a minor league contract.

Quinn will start the season in AAA.

6) The Redsox added P Robert Person to the 40 man roster, so he's made the team, and sent 1B Julio Zuleta and Earl Snyder and INF Lou Collier to the minors.

After 3.63 ERA/22 RSAA and 4.19 ERA/2 RSAA seasons, Person had a 5.44 ERA/-16 RSAA in 16 starts with the Phillies in 2002. He has a 4.60 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.46, and -22 RSAA in 199 games.

7) The Indians sent 3B Greg LaRocca, OFs Coco Crisp, Wendell Magee and Chris Magruder and Ps Jerrod Riggan, Jason Boyd, Dave Elder and Jason Phillips to the minors.

Crisp hit .386 SLG, .314 OBA, .700 OPS, -1 RCAA in 32 games as a 22 year old rookie in 2002. Magee has a .666 career OPS, compared to his league average of .767, and -52 RCAA in 97 games and is working on a streak of 2 consecutive years with a double digit negative RCAA.

After a 3.40 ERA/4 RSAA as a 27 year old rookie with the 2001 Mets, Riggan had a 7.64 ERA/-11 RSAA in 29 games in 2002. Boyd had a 7.94 ERA/-13 RSAA in 23 games with the 2002 Padres. Elder had a 3.13 ERA/4 RSAA in 15 games as a 26 year old rookie in 2002.

8) Jeff D'Amico won the Pirates 5th starters job. He joins Kris Benson, Kip Wells, Josh Fogg and Jeff Suppan in the rotation.

9) The Pirates sent C Humberto Cota and Ps Nelson Figueroa and Duaner Sanchez to the minors and released P Rolando Arrojo.

Figueroa had a 5.03 ERA/-11 RSAA in 30 games (11 starts) in 2002.

The Devil Rays may be interested in signing Arrojo. He pitched for them in 1998-99 and has a 4.55 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.68, and 31 RSAA in 158 games, including a 4.98 ERA/-5 RSAA in 29 games (8 starts) with the 2002 Redsox.

10) The Brewers signed P Pasqual Coco to a minor league contract, placed P Jayson Durocher on the 15 day DL and sent C-2B Joe Lawrence and OF David Krynzel to the minors.

Durocher had arthroscopic elbow surgery earlier in the month.

GM Doug Melvin says the team is also on the brink of signing Jamey Wright.

11) The Yankees sent 1B-OF Ryan McGuire to the minors.

McGuire has a .616 career OPS, compared to his league average of .773, and -43 RCAA in 368 games.

[nyy26wc]

1) The Expos sent 3B Scott Hodges, INF Tony Medrano and OF Peter Bergeron to the minors.

After .669 OPS/-28 RCAA and .560 OPS/-37 RCAA seasons, Bergeron hit .244 SLG, .310 OBA, .554 OPS, -8 RCAA in 31 games in 2002. He has a .617 career OPS, compared to his league average of .787, and -75 RCAA in 297 games.

Bergeron holds the modern day record for worst RCAA by an OF, through the age of 24--

RCAA 
1    Peter Bergeron              -75   
2    George Brickell             -69   
3    Mel Almada                  -63   
4    Jose Guillen                -62   
5    Howard Shanks               -61   
T6   Rowland Office              -55   
T6   Juan Pierre                 -55   
8    Roberto Clemente            -48   
9    Curt Flood                  -47   
T10  Jesus Alou                  -44   
T10  Charlie James               -44   
T10  Nelson Mathews              -44   

2) Yankees DH-1B Nick Johnson has a sprained ligament in his left thumb and his status for Opening Day is uncertain.

After starting his career with -5 RCAA/.621 OPS in 23 games in 2001, Johnson hit .402 SLG, .347 OBA, .749 OPS, -3 RCAA in 129 games in 2002.

3) Indians 1B Travis Hafner has a sprained left wrist, and is day to day, while Ben Broussard has missed more than a week, due to a strained muscles in his right ribcage. So, Shane Spencer may be the Opening Day 1B.

4) Mike Thurman became a free agent after he refused the Indians assignment to the minors.

5) Mets C Mike Piazza and Dodgers P Guillermo Mota are both appealing their 5 games suspensions for the team's March 12 bench clearing incident. Mota's appeal will be heard next week while Piazza's hearing won't happen until after the season starts.

6) The Reds released P Luis Pineda.

7) Devil Rays MGR Lou Piniella named his rotation--Joe Kennedy, Victor Zambrano, Nick Bierbrodt, Jim Parque and Steve Parris, and most of his bullpen--Lance Carter, Jesus Colome, Travis Harper, Seth McClung and Bobby Seay.

The team still has 1 or 2 spots open in the pen, depending on whether they decide to take 11 or 12 pitchers.

8) The Dodgers sent C Jared Price and P Troy Brohawn to the minors.

9) Rangers MGR Buck Showalter named Ismael Valdes as the Opening Day starter. Meanwhile, Chan Ho Park and John Thomson are #2 and 3, with the 4th and 5th spots still to be determined. The team is expected to start the year with a 4 man rotation and then call up the 5th starter when he's needed.

10) The Rangers sent P Ron Mahay to the minors.

Mahay has a 4.54 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.60, and 1 RSAA in 114 games, including a 8.59 ERA/-7 RSAA in 11 games with the 2002 Cubs.

11) The Reds returned P Blake Williams, a Rule 5 draftee, to the Cardinals.

12) Rangers OF Kevin Mench may start the season on the DL, due to a strained left oblique muscle. But, if he does, it'll be a retroactive placement and he might only miss the season opening 3 game series.

Mench hit .448 SLG, .327 OBA, .775 OPS, -3 RCAA in 110 games as a 24 year old rookie in 2002.

[KCBOOMER]

Originally posted by nyy26wc
1) The Diamondbacks have moved Miguel Batista into the bullpen. Meanwhile, although MGR Bob Brenly won't admit to yet, it looks like John Patterson and Byung-Hyun Kim are going to be the 4th and 5th starters.

Well, this could be a very interesting look at whether the SUN pitcher is more valuable getting more innings or just pitching the ninth.

[gyb13]

i think it'll be more of a test on submarine pitchers - are they more effective in small doses? will the league catch up to kim's delivery if they see it 3-4 times in a game?