Posts related to ‘John Smoltz’

Smoltz, Penny and Saito: A look at the low-risk/low-reward offseason moves

08.27.09 at 10:43 am ET

By DJ Bean   |  No Comments

There may be three teams in the AL East that figure to be in the thick of things for the entire season, but when it comes to the offseason, the Red Sox and Yankees rule the headlines and transactions log. This past winter was no different, and it was understood from the get-go. The Yankees were going to throw a truckload of money at CC Sabathia and the Red Sox were going to do the same with Mark Teixeira. Both things happened, but the Yankees outdid themselves and the rest of the league by also adding A.J. Burnett and topping Boston’s offer to Texeira with an eight-year, $180 million pact.

In an offseason in which $88.5 million came off the books for the Bronx Bombers, a combined $423.5 million was invested in Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeria. Meanwhile, the Red Sox, rather than throwing the money they had planned to spend on Teixeira at another free agent, went the low-cost route. They traded fourth outfielder Coco Crisp, set to make $6,083,333 in ’09, to Kansas City for reliever Ramon Ramirez, who is only costing them $441,000. To replace Crisp, they gave former first-round pick Rocco Baldelli a one-year deal worth half a million.

To solidify a rotation that a year earlier couldn’t depend on Clay Buchholz as much as initially assumed, the Sox brought in future Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz and two-time NL All-Star Brad Penny. Both players came to Boston on one-year deals– Smoltz for $5.5 plus incentives and Penny for $5 plus incentives. To improve a bullpen that had already seen the addition of Ramirez, 39-year-old Takashi Saito was given a one year, $1.5 million deal that included both incentives and a club option for the ’10 season. At the time, the signings of the three pitchers were applauded as great moves that cost the club very little and wouldn’t tie up their payroll in the future.

Hindsight’s 20-20, but at the time, who disagreed? In 20 seasons and 3395 innings, Smoltz had a career ERA of 3.26 to go with 210 winds and 154 saves. Of course, he was coming off shoulder surgery, but if anyone could come back in a big way, why not one of the game’s greatest pitchers?

Penny also was viewed as a reclamation project worth the money. When people think of the 2003 World Series, Josh Beckett is the first name that comes up, but a closer look could might surprise some. Though Beckett dominated in the series-clinching Game 6 for the Marlins, it was Penny who went 2-0 in the series while Beckett actually lost Game 3. Additionally, Penny had finished third in NL Cy Young voting in 2007.

Rounding out the trio of big names picked up on the cheap, Saito was the guy who stepped in for Eric Gagne when injuries and ineffectiveness took over for the ’03 NL Cy Young winner. The Japanese-born Saito figured to fit in wonderfully with a pitching staff that already had Hideki Okajima and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Playing up the chemistry angle, Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal wrote this spring of the unlikely friends and karaoke-mates that Penny and Saito have become since their years together in LA. Read it and you’re promised to be bummed that the two no longer share the same clubhouse.

This piece from Over the Monster is just one of the many expressions of approval of the inexpensive-but-potentially brilliant offseason. Posted in March, the piece contained the following praise of each of the signings:

On Smoltz: “If he can contribute on the level Braves fans had become accustomed to seeing over the last couple decades, the Red Sox may have found themselves one of the best bargain signings in all of baseball heading into 2009.”

On Penny: “With his veteran presence, Penny could be invaluable to the Red Sox pitching staff. It would be hard to find another back-end starter as efficient as Penny if he can regain the form that saw him go 16-4 in 2007 with a 3.03 ERA (Finished 3rd in Cy Young voting, voted to All-Star team). This could be a tremendous value signing for the Sox in 2009.”

On Saito:  “If Saito can return to his All-Star form, he should be an essential part of what is already considered one of the best bullpens in all of baseball.”

The reason I chose this post as an example of the positive reception given to these signings is because of the use of three words that were perhaps overlooked by fans and writers everywhere. The three words? “If,” “may,” and “could.”

Those three words have proven to sum up the 2009 Red Sox perfectly. If Smoltz and Penny were anything close to what they used to be, the Sox could be leading the division rather than being six games behind the Yankees. If the rotation had more stability for the entire season, Boston may not have had to call upon Junichi Tazawa so soon. Catch my drift?

This isn’t to say that the Sox had an awful winter. The belief out there is that no matter what they did, Teixeira was Bronx-bound. Additionally, Baldelli has produced at or above the level the Sox could have expected from Crisp (and outlasted him, considering the former Boston centerfielder is out for the season with a labrum tear). However, while the one-year deals to the pitchers were seen as great moves for the future (they would eventually open rotation spots for Buchholz, Tazawa, and Michael Bowden), perhaps not enough emphasis was placed on how it would impact the ’09 club. What were considered “low-risk/high-reward” contracts have just proven to be low-reward. Too low for a division title.

Two of the three are already gone. Smoltz was designated for assignment on August 7 after eight starts, five losses, and an 8.32 ERA. Penny produced what a No. 5 starter should produce– seven wins and an ERA in the mid-to-upper-fours– through his first 19 starts, but since then, Penny has pitched like more of a No. 8ish starter. In his last five starts in a big and tall Red Sox uniform, Penny went 0-4 with a sky-high 9.11 ERA. When he asked for his release yesterday, it’s hard to think Sox GM Theo Epstein teared up.

Saito, on the other hand, has posted an 2.80 ERA that does nothing but reinforce the idea that looking at a reliever’s ERA as a barometer of effectiveness is like looking at Penny as a barometer of athletic builds. From watching the games you can tell that Terry Francona has little-to-no faith in the reliever. Here’s a stat that backs up the notion: In 45 appearances for Saito this season, he has entered only four tie games. Furthermore, he has been called into a one-run game just three times.

If that stat can prove how little he is trusted, let this one prove how ineffective he’s been. Saito– remember, the same guy who has a shiny 2.80 ERA– has allowed 67 percent of the runners he has inherited to score. Perhaps that can explain the lack of faith. Though Saito remains the only one of the three free agent pitchers signed to remain with the team, his performance to this point doesn’t justify a contract that was seen as wise at the time. Of course, the team won’t be hurt long-term by the fact that they gave $1.5 million to a reliever they’re unwilling to use in pressure situations, but it’s worth noting that the three seemingly smart signings have proven to be nothing but a very unsuccessful experiment.

If there is a bright side to the small contracts given out over the offseason, Alex Speier has found it. The lack of guaranteed money committed in the offseason made it possible for the Red Sox to add the salaries of Victor Martinez and Billy Wagner without thinking twice.

“And yet because of their offseason short-term deals that featured relatively modest guaranteed salaries, the Sox retained the financial flexibility to address their needs mid-year,” writes Speier. ”The incentive-laden structure of the deals to Smoltz and Penny also left the Sox in a position where, if the players did not perform up to expectations, the team’s financial commitments would be limited.”

As the team gears up for the final month-plus of the season, they do so having dealt with failed expirements and unanticipated contributions from both Buchholz and Tazawa. Long-term, last offseason won’t hurt the Red Sox. This season, however, is a different story.

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Will Smoltz snap out of it?

08.06.09 at 12:04 pm ET

By DJ Bean   |  3 Comments

Tonight’s start is a big example of why the Red Sox took a flyer on John Smoltz back in January. Boston wanted a clutch starter on the cheap, and the Smoltz wanted to prove that he still had it.

When the Sox play their first of four at Yankee Stadium tonight they’ll be looking to turn around a recent stretch of disappointing baseball (8-10 since the All-Star break). Smoltz’ duty is doubled when you factor in him trying to work out of a funk he hasn’t seen in nearly 16 years.

After a start last Friday in Baltimore in which he gave up five runs over six innings (it very well could have been six earned if not for a spectacular catch by Jacoby Ellsbury), Smoltz has now given up at least five earned runs in three consecutive starts dating back to July 20 (1-2). The last time Smoltz had such a stretch, the Braves were in the NL West in September of 1993. The right-hander also gave up six, five, and six, respectively in three straight in August of 1989. For what it’s worth, Smoltz has never seen one of these streaks reach four games.

Still, the question lingers: what if Smoltz extends the streak tonight and helps the Red Sox to their first loss against the Yankees on the season? What if the streak then reaches five games the next time out? In five of his seven starts he’s let the opponent cross the plate five times, so it’s a reasonable concern. 

All of the “pitching depth” is clearly out the window by now. Justin Masterson (who wasn’t really appetizing as a starter in the first place given his ineffectiveness against lefties) is gone, and Michael Bowden was shelled last night in Pawtucket (six earned runs in three innings). Commenters everywhere have grown restless with the lack of overpowering performances from Smoltz, but as Alex Speier pointed out last week, the former Brave isn’t going anywhere. Like it or not, this appears to be the rotation for the time being. 

Meanwhile, the Sox brought back one of their starters of the past by signing Paul Byrd. Looking around the league, it may be the case that they brought back the wrong guy. Not to dwell on a dwell on a 37-year-old’s Double A performance, but guess who notched 11 strikeouts last night?

This leads to a question that could definitely induce some interesting debates: would you rather have John Smoltz or Pedro Martinez for the rest of the season? 

This isn’t an open-and-shut case.  Everything should be taken into consideration. I’m talking contracts (Smoltz’ $5.5 million salary versus Pedro’s $1 million), the fact that Smoltz was able to return earlier, age, résumés, and yes, the perceived headache that comes with Martinez.

Though Smoltz is different because he is returning from a major injury, the two cases are similar in that they are formerly overpowering pitchers who are trying to achieve success using new means. For Smoltz, it’s depending more on his changeup. For Martinez, it’s coming to grips with the fact that he’s not going to be able to throw quite as many fastballs to big league hitters and get away with it.

While a comparison of the two pitchers in this town would be remarkably lopsided, Smoltz can still give Red Sox fans hope for the rest of the season and beyond by turning in a signature performance against the team’s biggest rival. It won’t be easy, but then again Martinez wasn’t afraid of admitting that either.

Lou Merloni said on Saturday’s “Basball Show” that the Red Sox have three no. 5 starters in Smoltz, Brad Penny, and Clay Buchholz. Based on the numbers, he’s got a point, but if anything can change Boston’s mind about Smoltz, it will be a shut-down performance in the Bronx that halts the skids of both himself and the Sox. If not, let the griping continue.

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What We Know About John Smoltz, Polka King

06.25.09 at 9:50 am ET

By DJ Bean   |  No Comments

Remember that scene in Home Alone where Kevin’s mother is frantically trying to find a way back to Chicago and finds herself S.O.L. at the airport? Remember how she ends up getting bailed out by a polka band led by John Candy, who declares himself the “polka king of the midwest?” Tonight when you’re watching John Smoltz on the hill for the Red Sox, imagine John Candy out there.

“What the…?” you wonder.

Fair enough. Let me explain. According to Accordion USA, Smoltz has been known to tickle the … accordion? Not completely sure how that expression translates to the accordion, but it’s still a fascinating note. This isn’t to say athletes aren’t musicians — you’re bound to find an acoustic guitar in any clubhouse (you’re also bound to find this on my iPod, not this) — but the accordion is an interesting choice to say the least.

Smoltz recently told WEEI.com’s Alex Speier that he hasn’t played the instrument since he was a kid (he learned at the age of four). Even so, his dalliance with that instrument — and the comparisons between Smoltz and John Candy (?!) seemed a good place to start with a list of things we’ve learned about Smoltz in his nearly six months as a Red Sock:

THERE IS SOME CURT SCHILLING IN WHAT SMOLTZ MUST NOW DO. BUT ONLY SOME.

Many people have taken to comparing Smoltz this year to Curt Schilling in 2007, which may be a bit of a stretch, considering Schilling wasn’t coming off a major injury like Smoltz is. Plus, Schilling tossed an impressive 204 innings the year before, compared to Smoltz’ 28 last year.

Even so, the issue of reinvention as a pitcher is relevant to Smoltz, just as it was to Schilling. What should people expect out of Smoltz? For starters, a completely different pitcher. While his fastball has been in the low 90′s (he topped out at 91 in his last Pawtucket start), he has placed a bigger emphasis on his changeup than ever bef0re, as he said after the start. Gone are his days of being an overpowering hurler, an adjustment that has undoubtedly required tremendous patience, but he has been able to use his change to his advantage in the minors without any serious problems.

“I had to work on that pitch awfully hard because that’s not a comfortable pitch,” said Smoltz at the time. ”That’s not my pitch that I would go to [in the past].”

The pitch really got a lot of attention from Smoltz, who threw it more than any other pitch in the second inning in his final start against Charlotte. While he threw it more than regularly in the minors, don’t expect him be like Keith Foulke out there.

“Whatever pitch I think is best for the moment, I will throw it and look at tape later to determine if it was the right one or not,” said Smoltz yesterday.

ASIDE FROM AGE, THERE ARE NO SIMILARITIES BETWEEN 42-YEAR-OLDS SMOLTZ AND TIM WAKEFIELD

Back in the late 90′s, Smoltz experimented with a pitch that Sox fans have come to love. He began throwing the knuckleball to save his arm, but some were wondering last year whether he could permanently add it to his arsenal. In a word, no.

IF SMOLTZ IS ON HIS GAME, RIGHT-HANDED HITTERS WILL DESPAIR

I had planned on putting together some well-researched statistical masterpiece on Smoltz, but luckily for me, I awoke this morning to see that Gary Marbry had already done the perfect one in Nuggetpalooza. Genius. As Gary From Chapel Hill notes, right-handers have never hit better than .240 against Smoltz in a season.

CHANGE IS NEW FOR JOHN SMOLTZ — BUT NOT UNPRECEDENTED.

Many folks probably assumed that Smoltz was going to be a lifer with the Braves, though even if he stayed in Atlanta, he still technically wouldn’t be a one-organization man. Similar to what Jason Varitek has been to this point, Smoltz was traded as a Tigers prospect before spending 21 seasons in Atlanta.

TIGER MUST WAIT

Time will tell how big this signing will be for the Red Sox, but the fact of the matter remains that it was a low-risk move that could pay off come October. A man with his resume could have gone found work in other places for sure, but the move is one that is based around the playoffs for both parties. Plain and simple, Smoltz didn’t come to Boston so he could go golfing in October, though he’s tight with a guy who’s pretty good at it.

THERE ARE SOME THIRSTS THAT SMOLTZ CANNOT QUENCH

Smoltz hopes to have a make a big impact on fans in Boston, just like he did on beer-drinkers in Augusta. Well, maybe not exactly like he did on the beer-drinkers in Augusta. For my money, if he can maintain an ERA around the low- to mid-fours while remaining strong down the stretch, he will be a fine third or fourth starter. And, of course, that would be put him in line for a start in October, where history suggests he is at his best, and where Smoltz is focused on being an impact pitcher again.

“(The first start) is just one rung on the ladder to try to climb as far as I can to see how good I can be and really, at the end of the day, be in a position to pitch in the playoffs,” Smoltz said in Washington on Wednesday. “It will be a success. I came back with this mindset. It ain’t about stories, it ain’t about to say I can do it again. This is about pitching and getting hitters out. The end result is going to be that. And in three, four, five starts from now, I think you’ll see why I feel the way I do.”

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Smoltz controls Thirsty Thursday in Augusta

05.21.09 at 12:36 pm ET

By Alex Speier   |  1 Comment

Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz is set to begin his minor-league rehab assignment tonight for the Single-A Greenville Drive against the Augusta GreenJackets. The event promises to be a huge one for any number of reasons, among them:

–After 22 seasons with the Braves, Smoltz will be pitching in Georgia as a visiting player for the first time in his life. The GreenJackets, mindful of the marketing opportunity, have prominently featured the pitcher in a Braves uniform on their website.

–The start is the first of the pitcher’s official rehab assignment, meaning that the Sox now anticipate that he is within 30 days of contributing to the major-league club.

–Smoltz may have an opportunity to take a crack at the famed Augusta National Golf Course. It wouldn’t be the first time; in a recent interview about his links (not LEEInks?) passion, he estimated that he’s played Augusta five or six times, having once shot a 72 on the Masters course.

Obviously, this is a huge development in Augusta. A ballpark that drew roughly 1,200 for yesterday’s game against the Drive (which featured the Sox’ top draft pick in 2008, Casey Kelly, taking his first pro loss after allowing four runs (two earned) in five innings) will be swarmed today. The park will likely be at or near its capacity of 4,322, in a place where Smoltz remains an iconic figure.

Smoltz’ presence, in fact, is so huge that the GreenJackets have had to alter their usual Thirsty Thursday rules for Smoltz’ outing. Because the team expects “a lot more families,” according to this blurb in the Augusta Chronicle, Lake Olmstead Stadium will instead offer a “controlled Thirsty Thursday,” with sales of $1 beers for the big day restricted to the party pavilion area behind the bleachers.

One can only wonder: how would Smoltz have impacted the appearance of Rally: The King of Bling had he started on Friday?

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Smoltz Signing May Prove To Be Best Of Off-Season

01.13.09 at 7:40 pm ET

By Adam Lipkowitz   |  1 Comment

John Smoltz was introduced as a member of the Red Sox this morning at Fenway Park.  After twenty seasons, and parts of three decades in Atlanta, Smoltz is bringing his game to New England.  In an off-season that could be described as relatively uneventful, this signing will prove to be Theo Epstein’s best.

In a city that cannot get enough of its baseball, there seems to be nothing fans admire more than a big-game player – see David Ortiz,  Curt Schilling, and Josh Beckett.  Smoltz epitomizes just that.  His postseason stats speak for themselves.  He is 15-4 with 4 saves and a 2.65 ERA is 40 games that really matter.  He wants the ball all the time.  His stuff is nasty, and his heart is even bigger.

Epstein has made numerous acquisitions this off-season that have been low risk, with a potential for a tremendous reward.  The reward on Smoltz could prove to be the biggest.  Smoltz is far ahead of schedule in his recovery from major right shoulder surgery.  Epstein and Smoltz both say he could be ready in April if he had to be.  Thankfully, Epstein lives by the “You can never have too much pitching” mentality and Smoltz won’t be used early on.  He’ll be given ample time to fully recover.  That way, when the Red Sox need him in the dog-days on summer and the postseason, he’ll be 100 percent.

As the only pitcher in Major League history to have over 200 wins and 150 saves, Smoltz could theoretically be used as a starter or reliever.  Smartly, the plan is for him to be a starter in Boston.  When healthy, the 41 year old is still a dominant force, as he’s thrown over 200 innings in three of the last four seasons.  Oh yeah, and he’s also never given up an earned run in Fenway Park.  Give me a postseason series with Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, and Smoltz starting games 1-4, and I’ll show you a World Series champion.

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