Hendriks up; Tonkin down

[IdahoPilgrim]

As announced earlier this week, Liam Hendriks has been recalled from Rochester for Saturday's start in Cleveland. To make room Michael Tonkin was optioned back to Rochester - also no surprise.

 

I find myself eager to see what Hendriks can do. He started the year on the big club's roster and, after a couple of lackluster efforts, immediately found himself back in Triple-A. He seemed sporadic there as well, before being called up earlier this month for a spot start against Chicago, in which he pitched a gem. Since then he's had 2 more good starts for Rochester.

 

Here's hoping that Hendriks has finally turned the corner and is about to become the starter we hoped he someday might be. Not an ace, to be sure, but somebody who can take the ball and give the club a decent chance to win.

[TheLeviathan]

I also find myself in the (probably) foolish few who think Hendricks can still be a solid contributor to the future. Gives me a reason to watch today.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

I also find myself in the (probably) foolish few who think Hendricks can still be a solid contributor to the future. Gives me a reason to watch today.

 

He's twenty-four years old. It's not foolish at all to think his best years are still ahead of him. We all can hope. I'll be watching too.

[Shane Wahl]

It's easy to forget how young Hendriks still is. He's 16 months younger than Gibson.

[Marta Shearing]

I sure hope he figures it out, but he LIVES up in the strike zone. Even in his nice start against the White Sox he got away with a ton of balls up.

[jorgenswest]

I had this from an earlier post. Below is a strike zone plot of his Baltimore start. He did pitch in the bottom quarter of the zone. He just couldn't get those pitches called strikes. There were 5 balls called in the bottom of the strike zone and only 1 strike, Was it the way he pitches? The umpire? Doumit?

 

If you don't get strike calls in the bottom part, you have to adjust.

 

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/cache/location.php-pitchSel=521230&game=gid_2013_04_05_minmlb_balmlb_1&batterX=0&innings=yyyyyyyyy&sp_type=1&s_type=3.gif

[TheLeviathan]

He's twenty-four years old. It's not foolish at all to think his best years are still ahead of him. We all can hope. I'll be watching too.

 

It's foolish in the sense that he has struggled significantly but I still believe he needs more chances. There is zero reason a guy that has dominated AAA like he has (for stretches) not to have had more than a handful of starts at a time.

 

It seems, and this could simply be perception, that he is on an especially short leash for some reason.

[Shane Wahl]

It's foolish in the sense that he has struggled significantly but I still believe he needs more chances. There is zero reason a guy that has dominated AAA like he has (for stretches) not to have had more than a handful of starts at a time.

 

It seems, and this could simply be perception, that he is on an especially short leash for some reason.

 

It's scary to think that there is a short leash, but I think that had to do with the $9 million thrown at Correia and Pelfrey this year. Going forward, I have a hard time imagining much of a difference in 2014 performance between Correia and Hendriks. There is a $5 million difference, though.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It's scary to think that there is a short leash, but I think that had to do with the $9 million thrown at Correia and Pelfrey this year. Going forward, I have a hard time imagining much of a difference in 2014 performance between Correia and Hendriks. There is a $5 million difference, though.

 

I don't care about the money but I do care that one has marginal upside while the other does not.

[TheLeviathan]

It's scary to think that there is a short leash, but I think that had to do with the $9 million thrown at Correia and Pelfrey this year. Going forward, I have a hard time imagining much of a difference in 2014 performance between Correia and Hendriks. There is a $5 million difference, though.

 

See, I think he even had the extremely short leash last year too.

[Badsmerf]

See, I think he even had the extremely short leash last year too.

I don't understand his treatment either. He really hasn't been given a significant stretch of starts. I hope he can come up and throw some nice games so they leave him with the Twins for a while.

[IdahoPilgrim]

I don't understand his treatment either. He really hasn't been given a significant stretch of starts. I hope he can come up and throw some nice games so they leave him with the Twins for a while.

 

In your opinion, how long a stretch do we need? Is from now to the end of the year sufficient? He did start regularly from mid-late August last year to the end of the season.

[TheLeviathan]

In your opinion, how long a stretch do we need? Is from now to the end of the year sufficient? He did start regularly from mid-late August last year to the end of the season.

 

6 starts was nice, I'd like to see the same. To me I wouldn't put a number on it, I just feel like they are overreacting to tough starts. I'd like to see him get a chance or two after a tough start as a vote of confidence.

[IdahoPilgrim]

6 starts was nice, I'd like to see the same. To me I wouldn't put a number on it, I just feel like they are overreacting to tough starts. I'd like to see him get a chance or two after a tough start as a vote of confidence.

 

Hopefully he'll stick up this year to the end of the season and give us some "guidance" on his future value.

 

As far as last year, I'm guessing that part of the "short leash" came from them not thinking he was ready in the first place. IIRC he started with the big club only because Marquis got sidelined with a family emergency just as ST ended. Just a guess.

[TheLeviathan]

Just a guess.

 

It's a pretty good one, I'm hoping it's gone now. He needs to be a guy we're throwing out there.