6 posts tagged “burnett”
For all the promise he showed after his call-up in May of last season, could Dustin McGowan be any more ordinary this year? Sure, the Jays' pitching as a whole this season has at least allowed the team to tread water, but after his efforts towards the end of last season, McGowan left me wanting more in '08. Am I the only one that's underwhelmed?
McGowan and Shaun Marcum both turned heads last season, and of the pair, McGowan was considered a sure thing to repeat his performance. And why not? Players around the league marveled about his overpowering stuff last year, the best of which was on display when he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Colorado in late-June. Marcum, on the other hand, relied on breaking pitches and command, both of which seemed to fail him as the season wore on. So you'd expect McGowan to come back stronger in '08, no? Think again. After last night's loss to Seattle, McGowan sits at 6-7 with a 4.36 earned run average. Marcum? 5-4 and 2.65, the latter number amongst league leaders. Marcum, however, is beginning to show signs of wear and tear -- he was placed on the disabled list two weeks ago with a right elbow strain.
Back to our subject, though: McGowan has been strong as ever at home in '08, but a different pitcher altogether on the road. In seven home starts, he's 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA; on the road, he's 2-5 with a 6.17 ERA. Is it a mental thing, then? That's the way it would seem.
At 26, McGowan is still young, but he's starting to show an early onset of A.J. Burnett syndrome. Like Burnett, he has electric stuff, but doesn't seem to be able to harness it. Still, with nowhere to go but up in this suddenly-hopeless season, it's worth waiting to see whether or not McGowan is all he's hyped up to be. Let's just hope he doesn't turn into another guy who gets by solely on potential. Even if he does, though, he can rest assured someone will be waiting to give him a $55 million contract.
Don't get me wrong -- Vernon Wells' broken wrist is by no means a death sentence for the Jays' season. They did, however, respond to losing their leader in batting average, runs, home runs and RBIs in the worst possible fashion last night, falling 12-0 to the Indians. Offensive saviors Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench hit second and cleanup, respectively, and went a combined 1-for-8. Can it get any worse? Well, A.J. Burnett gets the ball this afternoon...
With Wells expected to be out two months, don't be surprised to see Ricciardi reach out in desperation for another hitter long past his expiry date: Jim Edmonds was released by the Padres Friday night after hitting just .178 with a homer in 26 games.
After last night's 2-1 loss to Boston, the Jays' eighth loss in nine games, it's no longer a question of "if" John Gibbons is fired. The question, instead, is which Toronto player the volatile soon-to-be-former manager decides to knock out on his way out the door. Gibbons is long overdue -- it's been almost two years since his famous run-ins with Shea Hillenbrand and Ted Lilly. Here's a look at some of the leading candidates:
A.J. Burnett: This is a no-brainer -- is there anyone associated with the team that doesn't feel the urge to knock out Burnett? The right-hander has been nothing short of Burnett-esque in his contract year -- I'd like to call him inconsistent, but he's only really had one decent start, all-the-while looking as motivated as Troy Glaus ever did in a Toronto uniform.
Advantage: This one's a toss-up -- Gibbons has been a mediocre manager and Burnett is, after all, still nothing more than a .500 pitcher.
David Eckstein: Sure, Eckstein seems like a stand-up guy, but Gibbons has shown a tendency to pick on unimposing players, and at 5-foot-7 there isn't a better candidate than the Eck-factor. In Gibbons' defence, the new shortstop hasn't hit a lick and has already coughed up a couple games with his poor defense.
Advantage: Eckstein. Lilly caught Gibbons off guard and left him with a bloody nose, and I'm convinced the scrappy Eckstein is at least as tough as him.
Scott Rolen: Rolen didn't get along with Tony La Russa and Larry Bowa. La Russa and Bowa were Rolen's managers. Gibbons is Rolen's current manager. It just makes sense.
Advantage: None. This one never comes to blows, as Gibbons and Rolen instead choose to exchange words through the media over the next three years.
Shawn Camp: Mistaking Camp for "The Reign Man" Shawn Kemp, Gibbons picks a fight with the Jays reliever because he disagrees with his fathering children out of wedlock and his cocaine habit. There's no place for that on this team, he insists.
Advantage: Gibbons, as Camp is caught off guard by the accusations. If it were the real "Reign Man", however, Gibby would've been eaten alive.
John McDonald: Johnny Mac has been to nice of a guy for too long -- you just get the feeling something has to give. McDonald, for one, may instigate out of anger for losing playing time to the offensively and defensively-challenged Eckstein, while Gibbons may seek out Mac for the same reason he'd go after Eckstein -- he's generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 lbs.
Advantage: McDonald, because according to Toronto fans, he's just so perfect (and I can't disagree).
In an interview with The Fan 590 yesterday, Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi admitted the A.J. Burnett is a pussy soft and that signing him to a five-year, $55 million contract in December 2005 was a mistake.
“I don’t know if it’s psychological, I don’t know if it’s just (that) he gets to a point where he feels something (that) he’s so scared from being hurt so many times that he just backs off,” Ricciardi said. He later added that if he had anticipated the emergence of Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum and Casey Janssen, he never would've signed Burnett in the first place.
Although Ricciardi merely echoed the sentiments of ever Blue Jay fan on the planet, it's still refreshing to hear the GM call Burnett out on his lackluster performance in Toronto. His latest trip to the disabled list is the 10th in his eight-year career, and fourth in his season-and-a-half with the Blue Jays. Burnett has a clause in his contract that allows him to opt-out at the end of next season, although it's unlikely he'll walk away from the remaining $24 million.
One last note on Burnett: His glove tossing, jersey ripping reaction to getting pulled last week in Minnesota was a disgrace. It's not clear whether he was reacting to the umpires or to John Gibbons' decision to pull him or to the realization that he was once again headed to the disabled list, but regardless, that's not the way a professional should act. Then again, maybe Burnett is nothing more than a spoiled kid with $55 million.
A stunning development in tonight's Jays-Giants game in San Francisco---A.J. Burnett leaves with an injury to his pitching arm. The initial diagnosis is a right shoulder strain, almost certainly the result of overuse. Burnett, who has a history of elbow ailments which includes Tommy John Surgery in 2003, threw 127, 118 and 131 pitches in his last three starts, respectively. Allowing Burnett to throw that many pitches in consecutive starts and not expecting him to get hurt is like throwing a glass chandelier against a brick wall and not expecting it to break. Once again, chalk this one up to the group of savvy, motivated personnel that run this team (ahem...John Gibbons and J.P. Ricciardi).
On another baseball note, tonight's game ball goes to Detroit's Justin Verlander, who no-hit the Brewers tonight at Comerica Park, striking out 12 in the process and becoming the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since Jack Morris in 1984.
The beautiful thing about Opening Day in Major League Baseball is that each team starts off tied for first place. Playoff aspirations will be dashed for most teams at some point in the season, but for one day, everyone is even. In the American League, several teams are good enough to make a run at the playoffs in ’07. Here are eight players that will determine whether or not their teams make it and just how far they go.
X-Factors:
Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
As usual, there is little question whether or not the Yankees will make the playoffs in ’07. The question is whether or not they are able to end their six-year World Series drought. In order for this to happen, the Yankees need some kind of production from Alex Rodriguez in the post-season. While A-Rod’s regular season performance in ’06 was enough to draw the ire of fans in the Bronx, his playoffs shortcomings were what had them calling for his ouster. A 1-for-14 performance against Detroit in a four-game divisional series loss only added to his playoff misery from the past two seasons. George Steinbrenner has grown tired of winning in the regular season, and if A-Rod isn’t able to take the Yankees to the promised land this October, this will be his last season in pinstripes.
Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox
Beckett’s arrival in Boston in ’06 was originally supposed to fill the void left by Pedro Martinez, but ended up as a flop. Although he won 16 games, Beckett’s 5.01 ERA was a disappointment even in the offensive-minded American League East. His 5-7 record after the All-Star break played a role in the Red Sox not only missing the playoffs, but slipping to third in the division, a place they hadn’t finished in since ‘97. Beckett has shown flashes of brilliance in his six-year career, highlighted by a shutout in Game 6 of the ‘03 World Series, but has yet to put it together for a full season. He did, however, pitch more than 200 innings for the first time in his career in ’06, suggesting that his injury problems are a thing of the past. Although Boston’s rotation is already sound with veteran Curt Schilling, Japanese sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka, and converted closer Jonathan Papelbon, the Fenway Faithful would welcome a productive season from Beckett in ‘07. If Beckett is able to stay healthy and return to form in, the Red Sox are a good bet to make the playoffs.
AJ Burnett, Toronto Blue Jays
Burnett is in many ways similar to Beckett. Like Beckett, he showed flashes of brilliance in Florida but had his early career derailed by injuries, most notably by Tommy John Surgery in ‘03. He was arguably Toronto’s highest-profile addition in ’06, but like Beckett, didn’t live up to expectations. Burnett’s ’06 season was setback by two early stints on the disabled list, both the result of recurring elbow problems. He appeared to shake the problem in the second half of the season, finishing with a 10-8 record and a respectable 3.98 ERA in 21 starts. However, the Jays need a lot more from Burnett in ’07 if they hope to push for their first playoff spot since ‘93. He’ll need to prove to be a formidable number two starter behind Cy Young candidate Roy Halladay, which means at least 30 starts and 200 innings. Furthermore, the Jays need lefty Gustavo Chacin to bounce back from an injury-plagued ’06 season and need innings from two of John Thomson, Tomo Ohka, and Shaun Marcum, who are expected to challenge for the remaining spots in the rotation, if they hope to see any action this October.
Jose Contreras, Chicago White Sox
Chicago’s playoff hopes hinge heavily on Contreras, who was a key difference in their winning the World Series in ’05 and missing the playoffs altogether in ’06. In ’05, Contreras went 11-2 in the second half and won three playoff games in leading the Sox to their first World Series since 1917. He started off ’06 in similar form, going 9-0 in the first half, before fading in the second half, just as his team did. His 4-9 record in the second half was symbolic of the White Sox’ fade from both the divisional and wildcard playoff races. For the White Sox to win in a very competitive American League Central, they need Contreras to carry them the way he did in the second half of ’05.
Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians
Hafner has quietly established himself as one of the top players in all of baseball. However, despite hitting .308 with 42 homeruns and 117 RBIs in ’06 (while missing all of September), he still flies under the radar. Coming into this season, Cleveland isn’t yet in the same class as Detroit, Chicago, and Minnesota, but Hafner is the type of player that could carry this team to the playoffs. With a lot of luck from a shaky starting rotation and a huge season from Hafner, Cleveland could see themselves at least in the race for the wilcard, and Hafner could see himself as the American League MVP.
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
There is no questioning Verlander’s production as a rookie in ’06 (17-9, 3.63 ERA), but Detroit has to be crossing their fingers that he can repeat his performance as a sophomore in ‘07. The Tigers eased his workload as he struggled in the second half, hoping to avoid putting too much pressure on his young arm. Still, his 208 innings (including the playoffs) were more than the average 23-year-old throws, and the Tigers can only hope this doesn’t hinder his production in ’07. Detroit will take precautions to make sure Verlander remains healthy and productive both this season and in the future, but their hopes of returning to the World Series rely heavily on another productive season from the young right-hander.
Carlos Silva, Minnesota Twins
Silva is without question the least notable player on the list of X-Factors, but Minnesota’s playoffs chances hinge heavily on whether he is able to return to form after a disastrous ’06 season. Phenom Francisco Liriano is out for the season due to Tommy John Surgery and Matt Garza and Boof Bonser are too young to assume too much responsibility, meaning that Silva must return to his ’04-05 form. A pitcher who relies heavily on hitting the corners, Silva missed his spots in ’06 and was rocked to the tune of a 5.94 ERA. Silva will get a chance to bounce back in ’07, and will likely figure in whether or not the Twins are playing in October.
Matthews turned a huge season in Texas in ’06 into a 5-year, $50 million contract with the Angels this off-season. Not a bad deal for a career-backup who is joining his ninth team in his nine-year career. Nevertheless, Matthews’ productive ’06 season and new contract have him in the spotlight this season, and the Angels’ playoff chances depend on whether or not he plays like the Gary Matthews Jr. of ’99-’05 or the Gary Matthews Jr. of ’06. The Angels need Matthews to contribute to an offense that floundered last season if they hope to return to the post-season.
Rich Harden, Oakland Athletics
Harden’s talent is unquestionable. His health, on the other hand, is a giant question mark. Since pitching 190 innings as a 22-year-old in ‘04, Harden has struggled with injuries. He pitched well in ’05, going 10-5 with a 2.53 ERA, but was limited to only 128 innings, and only pitched 46 innings in 9 starts while struggling with elbow woes in ’06. Harden is the perfect example of why Detroit will be precautious with Verlander. Now, with Barry Zito in San Francisco, Harden will be called upon to lead Oakland’s rotation. If the A's hope to make the playoffs both in ’07 and in the future, they need Harden to pitch 200 innings year in, year out.
