The Great Debate
Great post by Stook, today's game thread will be over in the diaries.-RR
Joakim Soria. I think we can all agree on two things: 1. What a cool baseball name. 2. He will be on the 25 man roster when camp breaks. What we can't seem to agree on is his role, #5 starter or relief pitcher. One side of the argument says that he's better than at least 3 or 4 of our other starting pitchers. The other side is that he's a young kid that hasn't done anything so why rush him.
I decided to look at the numbers. Below are 5 (4 Royals top 30 BA prospects)pitchers numbers from 2006 (not including winter ball cause I could not find it).
W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB SO
1 12-4 4.23 29 29 0 166 170 86 148
2 1-0 3.48 46 0 15 49 42 13 41
3 1-9 2.81 52 0 13 77 66 32 86
4 12-5 3.95 40 7 10 98 93 22 117
5 12-6 2.16 26 26 0 146 92 34 168
Somebody mentioned that Soria dominated last year (maybe he did winter ball...again I don't know), but only one guy above I would say DOMINATED last year. That's #5. #5 is unfortunatley the lone non-Royal above, Philip Hughes in the Yankee organization. #1 is Billy Buckner. I included him only to show how far he has to go to make it. 2-4 are basically interchangable. All had good, but not great years. All have pros and cons, but I'd say from best to worst would be 4 (Jarod Plummer),3 (Ryan Braun),and 2 (Joakim Soria).
I will admit that it is hard to compare numbers alone. All pitched in different leagues and at different levels. Plummer spent about his 4th year of his career in A ball, so it could be argued that he should have dominated. Braun is considerably older. Soria was in the Mexican League which even if I concede that it is AA level, it's still two levels away from the Bigs and he didn't exactly domintate it.
I will say that Soria and Plummer have comparable career numbers
W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB SO
Plummer 26-17 3.69 102 35 12 325 293 73 330
Soria 9-2 3.44 93 13 16 170 164 56 173
Note..both are the same age. Prior to winter ball, Soria has only started 13 games in his career. 13 games. Over his career, Soria's control has been good, but not as good as Plummer's. Plummer just doesn't get the press.
Honestly I could make the case the Braun and Plummer should be on the team before Soria. But that's only if you use the numbers. I have admitted that Soria sure has looked good. He LOOKS like he could be a successful pitcher in the Bigs. The thing is..that's the fan/scout in me. The numbers just don't back that up. The most innings Soria has thrown is a year is 66 and some of you want to throw him out there for 170-180 innings? There are no indications that he can even be successful as a starting pitcher. There's only our hopes and dreams.
So..I STILL contend that we don't know what we have. We've seen the guy pitch about 14 innings in Spring Training. He's still hanging curves that once the word gets out will be hit a LONG, LONG WAY. He has been injured and hasn't exactly thrown starters innings at any point in his career. We can afford to put him in the pen and see what he can do from there. If he succeds then we'll see.
0 recs |
50 comments
Comments
Well said
Great point. ST stats may not be entirely meaningless, but it is always difficult to figure out quite what they mean. We're talking about a small sample size against a variety of competition (from major league to low-A).
He's a kid with little experience. He has extremely little experience against American minor league competition. He has no major league experience. He's pitched basically at the AA level.
And yet from little evidence, some fans want to push him into rotation. Based on what? 14 ST innings? That's hardly enough evidence. And the scouting reports have been good, but not dazzling. I haven't exactly heard about tremendous stuff or pinpoint control.
He's a good, very young and inexperienced pitcher who I am glad to have as a Rule 5 kid for the bullpen. I would start him out in low leverage innings and see how he responds to major league competition in real games. If he does well, then he can get some more important innings. In the second half of the season if he's pitched well and there is a need, then I wouldn't be averse to giving him a spot start or two.
by NYRoyal on Mar 22, 2007 9:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
how in th ehell
what a weird planet
by LeoBloom on Mar 22, 2007 10:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed.
by Stook on Mar 22, 2007 10:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The K-BB
by LeoBloom on Mar 22, 2007 10:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Soria
by doublestix on Mar 23, 2007 12:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sort of agree
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 3:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'll go down in flames supporting Soria
by royaldaddy on Mar 23, 2007 12:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think there's more than two
I only question whether we should let him start. Again, I'll defer to the Johan Santana development track, which suggests we should not let him start until the end of the year, at the earliest, and only then just a couple of starts.
Since we have both Greinke and Bannister available as starters, I suggest we give them the chance now. Soria, if he does as well as we hope, should gradually transition into the starter's role.
by marbotty on Mar 23, 2007 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What do you base this on?
Really, no joke here. What do you base this on? You may well know more about this guy than I do. What I know about him is the scouting report-type stuff I've read in the media, including some reports from ST and then 14 innings of stats. Do you have more than that?
If not, how is it that you are of the opinion that he is better than DLR, Bannister and Perez right now? He wasn't exactly a well known prospect to begin with, so where you you get your information from. To be honest, this sounds more like faith than knowledge. You WANT him to be great. I do too. But I prefer a realistic and effective career path to get him to that greatness.
by NYRoyal on Mar 23, 2007 12:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i use the old school method
by royaldaddy on Mar 23, 2007 1:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
How much did you see of him?
I just see a lot of wild conclusions about this kid that you haven't seen much of, saying that he's the next great thing even though he is an inexperienced 22 year old kid. In reality, we still don't know what we have in this guy.
by NYRoyal on Mar 23, 2007 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great post RD
IMO comparisons of scouting and stats are like those of real world business versus business school. In school decisions rely solely on numbers and models. In the real world they are more often made with instinct and experience.
I want to give Rosy some starts and let Soria ease in. I expect Rosy to fail as a starter due to pitch counts. At that point I'll trust Buddy's instincts to determine whether Soria has the makeup to become a starter this early.
by chukar on Mar 23, 2007 1:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
that's what i call
by royaldaddy on Mar 23, 2007 2:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Amateur scouts
by NYRoyal on Mar 23, 2007 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey NY
You're taking things too seriously here. Go back and read your questioning post to RD. I just thought the tone was a little insulting, so I had his back with a little chain yanking thrown in, not a big deal. Maybe I read it the wrong way.
I just haven't seen a whole lot of confrontational tone on this board, like the "amateur scouts" blast. But we're all big kids and we can deal with it. I'm sure I've rubbed some the wrong way at times as well. But I do try to keep it friendly. Just more enjoyable for me that way. In fact, if you go back and check your first post, I was the one to welcome you aboard. I was even willing to overlook that you're a Twins fan and living in New York, ha!
I've enjoyed reading your posts, and you obviously know your baseball. Hey, we exorcised the demon today, so let's celebrate by burying the hatchet. Welcome again and I hope we can still be brothers in blue! Certainly no hard feelings on my end.
by chukar on Mar 23, 2007 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm with you
As to the argument, I do value the opinion of scouts as well as meaningful stats. But it is hard for me to put a lot of weight in subjective "with my own eyes" judgments of a player from people who don't have serious professional baseball credentials.
by NYRoyal on Mar 24, 2007 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I come in peace also
by royaldaddy on Mar 24, 2007 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's just how we roll in the old school
by chukar on Mar 23, 2007 2:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hmm
I'm tired of throwing guys out there on a wing and prayer. Ease him in..up his innings and see how he does. Throwing him out there without him being ready is repeating prior mistakes. We might as well bring Affeldt back and make him a starter..then a reliever..then a starter again. Cause that was fun.
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 3:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Stook, I was responding to NYroyal
I was intrigued by this:
"He's still hanging curves that once the word gets out will be hit a LONG, LONG WAY."
Is this something he has a reputation for? Did you see this in his brief TV appearance?
Nice topic.
by chukar on Mar 23, 2007 4:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well both...
"His curveball is average, though he'll sometimes fly open in his mechanics and leaves it up."
On TV he has gotten a couple strikeouts on hanging curves. They had a nice change of speed to them though (69 MPH). I think ultimately it was that change of speed that fooled the batters. I remember Greinke throwing Thome a couple of his slow curves 2 years ago. One struck him out. The second..I'm not sure has come down yet.
It will be interesting to see how he adjusts when the hitters adjust.
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
sorry if i came off as an ass
by royaldaddy on Mar 23, 2007 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not at all
I think at this point we are kind of arguing the on the same side though. We're just disagreeing on technicalities. I think yourself and loyal2s are just a little more excited by Soria and I am trying to be more tempered. I seem to get burned every time I get excited by a young pitcher (see Dan Riechert and Jeremy Affeldt).
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You didn't
I think scouting reports from real scouts and stats are both important for player evaluation. What I have a problem with putting much stock in the subjective "scouting" judgments of fans. I'm supposed to believe that Soria has the stuff of a #1 starter because a fan saw him pitch a little in one game and liked how his pitched moveed? Come on.
by NYRoyal on Mar 23, 2007 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another Soria supporter
I can go along with easing in him, Stook, but my reasoning is based on concern with innings pitched at his age, not his ability to get people out. I think limiting him to about 120 innings this season makes sense - and that most likely means the long relief role. Let's hope those long relief appearances are used judiciously by BB; it would sorta be a shame if he threw 120 innings of 3.00 - 3.50 ERA and only pitched in 3 or 4 games that we won all year.
I really believe this issue will come up midseason - and we can all debate putting him in the rotation again.
I do agree that developing him is more important than winning this season - UNLESS we accidently find ourselves in the race at the All Star break like we did in 2003. Yes, that possibility is remote, but we thought the same thing starting 2003. What are the chances? I think it would be foolish to think the chances aren't at least 2 or 3%.
by loyal2s dad on Mar 23, 2007 10:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This is getting to the point...
"Carla was the prom queen."
by NHZ on Mar 23, 2007 10:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Seems to be the hot issue right now
by chukar on Mar 23, 2007 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed.
Have you had a chance to see any of the back of the rotation guys pitch on mlb.tv by chance?
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not me, I have the Directv
by chukar on Mar 23, 2007 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
For Spring Training
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Stook, did you miss him when you were at ST.
He has made the team in my book. Rather he is in the rotation or the bullpen the Royals have a gem. By the end of the season he will be in the rotation and will have earned his way there.
He is one of GMDM's best pickups, if not the best...GO Big Blue....
by grudz69 on Mar 23, 2007 12:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
mound presence
by royaldaddy on Mar 23, 2007 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Unfortunately I didn't
I've seen about 6 innings or so of him on MLB.tv. I agree that he does have a certain presence on the field and seems to have an idea of what he wants to do (ie can pitch instead of throw). These are reasons to be excited about him for the next several years. Just no reason to get him burnt this year by placing him in the rotation too early, IMO.
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Isn't Soria a Rule V guy?
by EricConley on Mar 23, 2007 1:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My question
by royalsreview on Mar 23, 2007 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I saw him pitch for two innings in one of the firs
by grudz69 on Mar 23, 2007 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you ask me,
I'll guess we'll never know the answer to that.
One other note - during the endless parade of player interviews, Hudson and Perez both praised Soria without even being asked/prompted to do so.
In the case of Hudson, he said it was the first time he had seen Soria in person due to B games/minor league games/road games, etc. He sounded blown away by Soria's stuff...
That's good enough for me.
by loyal2s dad on Mar 23, 2007 1:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Good point
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great diary
I think its a bit silly to throw him into the rotation right now. Let him ease into the big leagues. It seems like there is a contingent of fans that want to rush everything. Rush Billy Butler up - he's obviously ready. Rush Joakim Soria into the rotation - he's obviously ready. I know its frustrating watching the Royals lose 90-100 games with guys like Reggie Sanders and Scott Elarton on the roster, but there is a method to the madness of actually waiting until a player is ready to contribute before throwing him into the fire. Good teams don't have guys flounder around and struggle their first few years - they often do well from the start. Why? Because they've been given time to develop in the minors (or the bullpen). We should do the same. I advocate putting Soria in the pen for long relief. Towards the end of the year, I'd love to see him get some starts, but lets' let him get acclimated to the big leagues first. Its a totally different world from Arizona spring training.
by RoyalsRetro on Mar 23, 2007 2:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Very well said
Talk about #1 starter stuff. 95 mph fastball and an amazing 12-6 curveball. It is very easy to see a little of a pitcher and project that he will be great. Unfortunately, these impressions we get from a little evidence aren't very reliable.
And you're right. Success requires patience. Making moves because we are desperate to do a little more winning right now won't make this team into a good playoff team in the future.
by NYRoyal on Mar 23, 2007 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yea
Although I will say this, I thought he had just turned 22 recently so 07 would be his age 22 season, but he will be 23 this year so I wouldn't mind seeing him get a couple of spot starts later in the season. But this is a guy who has made only 13 career starts in full season ball, granted he made 13 in winter ball, but I wouldn't expect him to be able to just jump in and just put up Quality Starts.
by wildthang on Mar 23, 2007 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Meche scratched
by EricConley on Mar 23, 2007 3:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Mexican Leagues and A ball
Mexican Leauge stats are much closer to AAA stats because many of the player there actually have MLB experience. Soria's numbers were put up agains quality experienced players.
Soria's line is much more impressive by far.
by pd on Mar 23, 2007 3:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hmmmm
Mexican League has a huge variance in talent. Some players have major league experience. But some aren't even good enough to get into the minors at any level.
So I think it is most accurate to say that it is roughly the equivalent of AA.
"Soria's numbers were put up agains quality experienced players."
Against some quality players and some nobody hacks.
by NYRoyal on Mar 23, 2007 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'll give you I overstated the case
by pd on Mar 23, 2007 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ok
by Stook on Mar 23, 2007 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Braun comparison
Good post by the way...got me thinking.
by pd on Mar 23, 2007 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I meant Soria being a rule 5 guy obviously
by pd on Mar 23, 2007 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

by 












