Let's quit the chit-chat and get straight to the stats and analysis.
Brad Peacock - Age 23 - Under club control for another 6ish years
How he became a Nat: Drafted in the 41st Round (!!!) of the 2006 MLB First-Year Players Draft.
The Raw Numbers:
Games - 3
Games Started - 2
FIP - 3.86
Wins - 2
WHIP - 1.083
IP - 12.0
Hits Allowed - 7
Key Stat: 0. This is the number of Runs allowed by Peacock in his two starts. Granted it's only two starts, but one of them came against the best-record-in-the-NL Phillies; the other being the Mets. In those two starts, Peacock went a total of 10.2 innings and allowed just 3 hits - incredible for a rookie. And yes, I know that you can't take too much stock in September performances.
Best Game: A lot of tough choices here... And despite two solid starts, one was better than the other. September 22nd against the Phillies, in a game where the young 23 year-old out-dueled veteran All-Star Roy Oswalt. This win closed out a 4-game sweep in Philadelphia. The young right-hander went 5.2 Innings, allowed just 1 hit, walked 2, and struck out 2 - he could've gone much further as his pitch count was only at 69 when he was lifted.
Worst Game: That would be his first career appearance, a relief effort on September 6th vs the Dodgers. You may remember that this game was also Stephen Strasburg's first post-Tommy John appearance and that immediately after Strasburg would be Peacock - and that Peacock would be not come in mid-inning. Well, Strasburg finished 5 innings and Davey decided to bring in Doug Slaten - floodgates were opened and Peacock had to come in with two runners on to face MVP candidate Matt Kemp. Peacock gave up three runs, two of which were inherited runners. We wrote about this in detail afterwards...
CapBall Grade: A. Brad Peacock has come out of nowhere to become one of the Nats top pitching prospects. This year in just 2 starts he showed the organization why he was the Nats 2011 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
2012 Nats Status: The rotation for next year is stacked, and at least 4 players have already locked up spots (Zimmermann, Strasburg, Lannan, and Wang) for next year - making Peacock's road the uphill variety. His main competition is going to be Tom Milone and Ross Detwiler (both lefties. If the Nats get a big name pitcher, such as CJ Wilson, the only person vulnerable would be John Lannan. I see him in the rotation because I see the Yankees backing up a Brinks truck for CJ Wilson, leaving Peacock to win an open competition for the 5th starter spot.
Showing posts with label Brad Peacock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brad Peacock. Show all posts
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Set Up To Fail
So, last night Stephen Strasburg made his triumphant return to baseball in exclamatory fashion, striking out four, walking none, and allowing just two hits in five amazing innings of work. We aren't going to write about that though; we recommend that you head to WashingtonPost.com where I'm sure that Dave Sheinin has written an amazing feature about the appearance and that Tom Boswell has stated that he is the next Walter Johnson.
The game was far from over when Strasburg left, as noted by Adam Kilgore who made it clear that the Dodger's had just 2 hits through 5, while ending with 13... Ouch.
On a day that more closely resembled a Little League game (everybody plays!) than a MLB game, there were two decisions that really frustrated me as a writer and as a fan.
Play one:
Bottom 9. Two outs. Bases Loaded. 7-3 Game. Your two best hitters have just struck out looking. Sounds like the perfect situation to put in a kid making his MLB-debut, right? Well, only if you are absolutely insane. Nope, that's exactly what Davey Johnson decided to do. .235-in-AAA hitter Corey Brown entered as a pinch hitter, making his MLB-debut with the game on the line and all of the pressure on his shoulders. Brown did a decent job fighting off Guerra's gas, but eventually hit a lazy fly to left to end the game; all this while Pudge, Flores, Cora, and Nix all sat on the bench.
Play two:
It was reported before the game that Brad Peacock would not enter a game mid-inning, because it doesn't make sense to have a starter appear in the game mid-inning. Flash-forward to the end of the 5th inning, Strasburg has done his thing, the Nats have a 3-0 lead, enter Peacock, right? Wrong. Enter Doug Slaten in just his 2nd appearance post-DL. Two hits later and Davey calls for Peacock. Once again, we have a player making his MLB-debut. So, in his first career appearance he has to come in with two runners on against Matt Kemp, the NL leader in WAR and front-runner for NL MVP. Well, by now you know what happened - coming in mid-inning, having to pitch out of the stretch, against the NL's best hitter - Peacock blinked and the game was tied. As if he didn't have enough adversity to overcome just to make the big-leagues, you know - being a 41st round pick and all.
I'm not the only one who was frustrated by this last decision by Davey Johnson. Here is what the Natsosphere had to say...
Adam Kilgore - "Tie game. Doug Slaten started the mess. Davey let Brad Peacock, a prospect and starter, begin his career from the stretch against Matt Kemp."
Ben Goessling - "A guy with 12 career relief appearances started his major league career from the stretch. That's a mess"
Mark Zuckerman - "Davey said he wouldn't bring in Peacock in middle of inning. So naturally he brings him in to face Matt Kemp with 2 on and 1 out in 6th."
- "This game is tied 3-3 and Strasburg can't get the win. Can't blame Peacock. He's a starter. Why was he making MLB debut in this spot?"
I spent my college years training to be a teacher and one of the most important lessons I learned is that no matter what you do, you have to set your students up for success. Now, I know that Davey Johnson is out there trying to win ballgames, and if that is the case then why is he putting kids making their MLB-debuts in such pressure-packed situations.
It is clear by this point that the Nats aren't a playoff team, or even a .500 team. It seems to me like the organizational philosophy this September has been to see what the young kids can do (See: Livo shutdown, Marrero everyday). And if that is the case then why are we setting up these kids to fail by putting them in situations that are heavily stacked against them. It just doesn't make much sense.
What do you think, CapBallers? Did last night frustrate you as much as it did me? Sound off in the comments!
The game was far from over when Strasburg left, as noted by Adam Kilgore who made it clear that the Dodger's had just 2 hits through 5, while ending with 13... Ouch.
On a day that more closely resembled a Little League game (everybody plays!) than a MLB game, there were two decisions that really frustrated me as a writer and as a fan.
Play one:
Bottom 9. Two outs. Bases Loaded. 7-3 Game. Your two best hitters have just struck out looking. Sounds like the perfect situation to put in a kid making his MLB-debut, right? Well, only if you are absolutely insane. Nope, that's exactly what Davey Johnson decided to do. .235-in-AAA hitter Corey Brown entered as a pinch hitter, making his MLB-debut with the game on the line and all of the pressure on his shoulders. Brown did a decent job fighting off Guerra's gas, but eventually hit a lazy fly to left to end the game; all this while Pudge, Flores, Cora, and Nix all sat on the bench.
Play two:
It was reported before the game that Brad Peacock would not enter a game mid-inning, because it doesn't make sense to have a starter appear in the game mid-inning. Flash-forward to the end of the 5th inning, Strasburg has done his thing, the Nats have a 3-0 lead, enter Peacock, right? Wrong. Enter Doug Slaten in just his 2nd appearance post-DL. Two hits later and Davey calls for Peacock. Once again, we have a player making his MLB-debut. So, in his first career appearance he has to come in with two runners on against Matt Kemp, the NL leader in WAR and front-runner for NL MVP. Well, by now you know what happened - coming in mid-inning, having to pitch out of the stretch, against the NL's best hitter - Peacock blinked and the game was tied. As if he didn't have enough adversity to overcome just to make the big-leagues, you know - being a 41st round pick and all.
I'm not the only one who was frustrated by this last decision by Davey Johnson. Here is what the Natsosphere had to say...
Adam Kilgore - "Tie game. Doug Slaten started the mess. Davey let Brad Peacock, a prospect and starter, begin his career from the stretch against Matt Kemp."
Ben Goessling - "A guy with 12 career relief appearances started his major league career from the stretch. That's a mess"
Mark Zuckerman - "Davey said he wouldn't bring in Peacock in middle of inning. So naturally he brings him in to face Matt Kemp with 2 on and 1 out in 6th."
- "This game is tied 3-3 and Strasburg can't get the win. Can't blame Peacock. He's a starter. Why was he making MLB debut in this spot?"
I spent my college years training to be a teacher and one of the most important lessons I learned is that no matter what you do, you have to set your students up for success. Now, I know that Davey Johnson is out there trying to win ballgames, and if that is the case then why is he putting kids making their MLB-debuts in such pressure-packed situations.
It is clear by this point that the Nats aren't a playoff team, or even a .500 team. It seems to me like the organizational philosophy this September has been to see what the young kids can do (See: Livo shutdown, Marrero everyday). And if that is the case then why are we setting up these kids to fail by putting them in situations that are heavily stacked against them. It just doesn't make much sense.
What do you think, CapBallers? Did last night frustrate you as much as it did me? Sound off in the comments!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Livan is done, and there are lots of reasons why
When the Nationals acquired Livan Hernandez on a 1-year deal in 2010, everyone in NatsTown was excited for the return of a hometown favorite, and he did not disappoint. In his first full year back with the organization, he put up 211 2/3 innings and a 3.66 ERA, his best since the 2003 season with the Montreal Expos.
This season started out with about the same story: lots of innings eaten and an impressive ERA. But after his June 15 complete game shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals, Livan's efficiency decreased significantly. His ERA since that game is 5.74, opponents are hitting a high .345 against him, and has an astronomical .886 OPS. In the last 9 games, he only pitched 6 or more innings in a start 4 times. Not exactly what you want to see from your "innings eater" on the ball club. He's only thrown 62% strikes as well.
The main reason for Livan's pending doom with the Nats organization has little to do with his steady decline this season, though. It has more to do with the slew of incredible pitching talent that is ready to break though to the majors. Trading Jason Marquis before the deadline was the first step toward a younger Nationals pitching rotation.
With Stephen Strasburg's pending start on Opening Day 2012, plus the emerging dominance of Jordan Zimmermann and John Lannan (I know, I can't believe I just wrote that either), there are just two rotation spots left to fill with emerging talent. Ross Detwiler looks to be out of the contest, as he is unable to get through a lineup more than twice. He'll end up traded or in the bullpen. But Brad Peacock and Tom Milone provide the most hope for the Nationals pitching future.
Peacock was dominant in Double-A Harrisburg to start the season, and since being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, he's certainly put up pretty good numbers. Milone has been simply dominant in Syracuse all season, putting up an 8-6 record, a 3.62 ERA, and an astounding 12.00 SO/BB ratio. He struck out 120 batters this year and walked only 10. That's incredible.
We're not convinced that both Peacock and Milone will make the rotation to start the 2012 season, but we are sure that they will both be September call ups this season. Mike Rizzo will still set out on his annual goal to sign a "big name" pitcher to help his rotation, but one thing is for sure. Livan Hernandez won't be the guy to make that rotation.
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