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Originally Posted by BigRedChief
So you still think I'm overrating Rosenthal? Since about this time you posted this lecture for me on Rosenthal, that he shouldn't be in the majors and developing in the minors...........
In his last 16 appearances Cardinals’ eighth-inning reliever Trevor Rosenthal has allowed one run in 14.1 innings, with 24 strikeouts. That’s an 0.63 ERA. And has walked only two of the last 39 batters he’s faced.
Rosenthal’s strikeout rate of 13.5 per nine innings is fifth-highest among qualifying NL relievers. According to STATS LLC, Rosenthal has the fourth-best swing-miss rate (34.2 percent) among qualified NL relievers.
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While he's obviously turned into a good reliever, his success as a reliever does not necessarily excuse not stretching him out as a starter.
You could make a fair case that the team would have been better off had they stretched him out and given him a starter's setup at the beginning of the season, calling him up when Gast got the call.
I think we'd all also feel more comfortable about our rotation going forward, although the bullpen would be a ****ing disaster.
With that said, I think that having him pitch a year in the pen isn't necessarily a bad thing for his development. It worked perfectly well for Wainwright in 2006, and although he isn't getting stretched out, he is getting used to major league hitting, and he's slowly learning how to pitch rather than throw.
tl;dr: both viewpoints have merit.