Who gets a shot to start?

[Riverbrian]

RB, you're probably right. I've been conditioned to where when I hear shoulder surgery, I cross the name off the list and go to the next warm body.

 

I don't like hearing Shoulder Surgery either... I feel better if you hear them say Elbow replacement surgery over Shoulder surgery.

 

All reports have been that the surgery went well and his agent expects him to be 100 percent for Spring Training.

 

Shoulder Surgery is scary for a pitcher and it's also hard to say 10 times fast.

[Oxtung]

After what we just saw this last season I think it would be foolish to hand Gibson a starting job no matter what he does in spring training.

 

There's ~250 relief innings we'll need to make up if Duensing, Swarzak, and Roenicke aren't back. I think Gibson is a natural fit to soak up some of them. Meyer and May too, maybe. If Gibson thrives then he could be first in line to sub when one or more of the starters inevitably gets hurt. JMO

 

Meyer and Gibson have never pitched out of the pen before (except for Gibson during his rehab) and are expected to be starters for the team in the future. The rotation is going to have some pretty bad pitchers in it. If Meyer and Gibson are good enough to pitch at the major league level (regardless if it's out of ST or at some point during the season) why would you put them in the bullpen? How is that "natural"?

 

The Twins did that with a few pitchers during the 2000's but they were also in a pennant race and already had 5 pitchers they thought would be good starters.

[IdahoPilgrim]

Meyer and Gibson have never pitched out of the pen before (except for Gibson during his rehab) and are expected to be starters for the team in the future. The rotation is going to have some pretty bad pitchers in it. If Meyer and Gibson are good enough to pitch at the major league level (regardless if it's out of ST or at some point during the season) why would you put them in the bullpen? How is that "natural"?

 

The Twins did that with a few pitchers during the 2000's but they were also in a pennant race and already had 5 pitchers they thought would be good starters.

 

I didn't take his post as meaning he thought Gibson should start in the pen - I took it as meaning that Gibson has done nothing yet to have earned a spot in the rotation, hence the need to see something out of him during ST before starting him at the MLB level again.

 

Personally I would hope Gibson earns a spot in the rotation during ST next March, but if not then I'd let him be a starter at Rochester again.

[Mr. Brooks]

I didn't take his post as meaning he thought Gibson should start in the pen - I took it as meaning that Gibson has done nothing yet to have earned a spot in the rotation, hence the need to see something out of him during ST before starting him at the MLB level again.

 

Personally I would hope Gibson earns a spot in the rotation during ST next March, but if not then I'd let him be a starter at Rochester again.

 

I would think (hope) this club learned that anything you do in ST should not be a factor towards "earning" a job.

The atmosphere and quality of opponent are so entirely different than actual MLB regular season games, (in addition to the tiny SS) that literally 0% stock should be placed in ST performance.

ST is a time to work on pitches, face some live pitching, work on your SB jumps, work on pick off moves, practice turning DP's and hitting cut off men, etc.

[gil4]

I don't like hearing Shoulder Surgery either... I feel better if you hear them say Elbow replacement surgery over Shoulder surgery.

 

All reports have been that the surgery went well and his agent expects him to be 100 percent for Spring Training.

 

Shoulder Surgery is scary for a pitcher and it's also hard to say 10 times fast.

 

Any ailment is scary for a pitcher who is effective due to a fastball with unusual, unexplained movement.

 

The best parallel I can remember is Scott Erickson - he was on his way to a Cy Young award, tweaked his elbow, missed a couple starts, and was never the same again. His heavy, sinking fastball that moved all over the place lost a lot of his movement. He spent the next few years trying to learn to pitch with the Twins and was finally adequate again for a few years with the O's.