Is there still hope for...

by Shep on Oct 19, 2006 8:33 AM EDT

So I was wondering about some prospects whose light shone brightly not long ago but now who's futures are dimmed.

Gavin Floyd.
Denny Bautista.
Dallas McPherson.
Edwin Jackson (closer?)
Philip Hughes or Homer Bailly.

Just kidding about the last two. Just thought we needed our daily Hughes-Bailly shot.

Your thoughts?

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I honestly think...

a guy like Gavin Floyd needs a change of scenery. He's been bad since being demoted by Philly to the minors. He still has a good arm but seems stagnant. I think he'll be traded.

McPherson has virtually no future with his home organization. Right now, they have better and more versatile capable of playing and producing at 3B (Figgins & Wood) and the same can be said at pretty much all spots including DH (Rivera & Morales). So I think a trade is order here as well. Maybe to the NL?

Bautista is the same exact player as Daniel Cabrera is, except without an east coast bias. He's a flame thrower and I like the move for the Rockies. They need somebody that can bring it besides Francis. Bautista will eventually need to stop relying on his pure stuff and learn how to actually pitch someday.

Edwin Jackson, like Bautista, is flame thrower but I think his erratic nature has proven him a bullpen guy despite his potential. Unlike many hard throwers that succeed, I don't really think Edwin currently has the baseball IQ to start everyday or close right now. I think the closer in TB will McClung for years to come. Edwin could 1 day become sort of like Octavio Dotel or Scot Shields but who knows right now. More experience at the MLB level with proper coaching could make him an elite setup guy.

Its still way to early to say these guys won't contribute or are done. Most stud/good relievers were/are converted starters because of performance or injuries anyways. Why are these guys any different? They still have great arms and with the proper coaching could still be good MLB players. The pixie dust has fallen off of them obviously but that doesn't mean the magic is completely gone. As for McPherson, if he can stay healthy and actually find a place to play before he's too old I think he could be a average to good hitter.

by Havok1517 on Oct 19, 2006 8:47 AM EDT reply actions

Jackson

I watched Jackson up close against the Rangers back in April and he was doing some good things, and then he had some bad luck and seemed to fall apart after that. Looks like either a confidence problem, or a lack of mental toughness.

by JFP on Oct 19, 2006 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I was there...

I was at the game in Arlington and recall Edwin's 96th pitch of the game to be a 96mph fastball. Seem to recall his 100th pitch ran up to 97mph. Edwin struggled with his control that evening, but his heater was working.

Wild game; Wigginton hits a three-run shot to tie the game with two out in the top of the 9th; only to see Mike Young end it with a single in the bottom of the frame!

by klmstrat on Oct 19, 2006 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Really?

Thats good to hear, simply because when I saw him he was at a dissapointing 90-91.

It was hard to watch. The guy had NO control of his secondary stuff, not that there was anything there worth noting.

by SenorGato88 on Oct 19, 2006 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Jackson

All these things were true about Jackson in 2004. Its like somewhere between 2003 and 2004, Jackson took a step back and hasn't made any progress since. If he can develop some pitching "intangibles" and find some control of his slider (when he was with LA, it always had good movement), he could be a very nice reliever. He reminds me a bit of Guillermo Mota or Octavio Dotel, neither of whom found any effectiveness until their late-20's. Edwin in 22. He'll probably flounder with the Rays until they release him next year or the year after, at which point he'll bounce around a couple teams between the majors and minors with varied success. The Dodgers will pick him back up sometime in the next decade, and he'll be a nice reliever for a couple years. Similar situation to the Cards and Looper.

by sanchez101 on Oct 19, 2006 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions

actually

A DMac for GFloyd trades make sense...

Bobby Crosby - a poor man's Adam Everett.

by natsfan2005 @ Minor League Ball on Oct 19, 2006 9:12 AM EDT reply actions

McPherson

His back is a chronic problem. Too bad though, he has the talent but his body isn't going to allow him to reach his potential.

Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.

by HuskerBob on Oct 19, 2006 9:31 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks guys

That's good input and analysis and for the record, I totally agree that Bautista is Cabrera. Ironic that Baltimore had both of them and were vilified for trading him for the soon to be infamous, Jason Grimsley.

I think that Jackson is going to make it as a closer, but that job is as much mental as physical and we'll see how he handles it.

Could Bautista take the same closer path?

I won't get married until the Red Sox win the World Series. AGAIN!!

by Shep on Oct 19, 2006 11:26 AM EDT reply actions

Zack G.

Hey Havok1517 you forgot about Zack G. of the royals. I have hope in him for the simple fact that he still has great stuff and IQ to back it up. He just had some personal issues. People forget that the same debate we had with hughes and bailey, baseball fans had the same debate with Jackson and Greinkie.

by NYYLover1000 on Oct 19, 2006 12:39 PM EDT reply actions

When was Greinke mentioned...?

I actually had a Haydenn Penn & Greinke dilemma but found out how to keep both. I think Greinke is way to talented and young to give up on. Greinke, I think he proved to everyone that he's fine and pitched well. Its rare that you find a guy people have given up on that coulde be a legit #1 one day.

by Havok1517 on Oct 20, 2006 4:06 AM EDT up reply actions

I still...

for whatever really absolutely love Zack Greinke.

It sucks though. He's dissapointed me as a player and a person. The typical profile for a pitcher like him is you know...a decently smart kid. When I heard him talk he sounded like he was 16.

Still when he was on it was a treat to watch him pitch.

by SenorGato88 on Oct 19, 2006 2:47 PM EDT reply actions