Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Duquette says it ain't Seo, and Howe
Is that the worst possible headline I could think of? Yes it was. But if you can come up with anything better, I'd love to hear it.
As for the actual story, Jae Weong Seo had another rough outing on Tuesday, giving up five runs in four and a third innigs, striking out one, walking one and serving up a pair of home runs, elevating his spring ERA to 7.48. Afterwards, Jim Duquette and Art Howe both backed off previous assurances that Seo would definitely be a part of the team's starting rotation to start the season.
"If somebody scuffles a lot, we'll take a look at it," Howe said. "It's important that he gets it together."
Of course I don't put a lot of stock in spring training stats, and Seo really does deserve to be the first guy who gets a crack at one of the last two spots in the rotation after the way he pitched last year. But if he really is struggling with his mechanics or something like that, I wouldn't be opposed to Grant Roberts and, say, Tyler Yates a shot to prove they belong in the rotation while Seo gets himself straightened out in Norfolk. Then the Mets would have all the more flexibilty when injuries crop up or Steve Trachsel gets traded to a contender in July.
I would rather not see the Mets send Seo down just to avoid losing Scott Erickson, who, effective spring or not, I can't see being useful for much longer this year than David Cone was last year. Speculation in the article and a look at recent Mets history would lead one to believe that he's exactly the one who'll get the job. Hopefully the Mets will deviate from form, quit hedging their bets with mediocre veterans, and actually commit to this alleged youth movement.
As an aside, when did "scuffle" become the stock baseball synonym for "struggle"? My 1983 American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "1. To fight confusedly at close quarters. 2. To shuffle." If Seo is fighting confusedly at close quarters, then send him down, sure. He's probably got bigger issues than Rick Peterson alone can resolve. ¶ joe | 3:52 PM |
Is that the worst possible headline I could think of? Yes it was. But if you can come up with anything better, I'd love to hear it.
As for the actual story, Jae Weong Seo had another rough outing on Tuesday, giving up five runs in four and a third innigs, striking out one, walking one and serving up a pair of home runs, elevating his spring ERA to 7.48. Afterwards, Jim Duquette and Art Howe both backed off previous assurances that Seo would definitely be a part of the team's starting rotation to start the season.
"If somebody scuffles a lot, we'll take a look at it," Howe said. "It's important that he gets it together."
Of course I don't put a lot of stock in spring training stats, and Seo really does deserve to be the first guy who gets a crack at one of the last two spots in the rotation after the way he pitched last year. But if he really is struggling with his mechanics or something like that, I wouldn't be opposed to Grant Roberts and, say, Tyler Yates a shot to prove they belong in the rotation while Seo gets himself straightened out in Norfolk. Then the Mets would have all the more flexibilty when injuries crop up or Steve Trachsel gets traded to a contender in July.
I would rather not see the Mets send Seo down just to avoid losing Scott Erickson, who, effective spring or not, I can't see being useful for much longer this year than David Cone was last year. Speculation in the article and a look at recent Mets history would lead one to believe that he's exactly the one who'll get the job. Hopefully the Mets will deviate from form, quit hedging their bets with mediocre veterans, and actually commit to this alleged youth movement.
As an aside, when did "scuffle" become the stock baseball synonym for "struggle"? My 1983 American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "1. To fight confusedly at close quarters. 2. To shuffle." If Seo is fighting confusedly at close quarters, then send him down, sure. He's probably got bigger issues than Rick Peterson alone can resolve. ¶ joe | 3:52 PM |
