Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins
Are you sure Leone has options? I read differently, but it was random internet chatter.
Regarding Gant: I understand your point, and he is great from the pen, but I wonder if the gulf between an average-slightly above average SP and Wacha is good enough to justify the move.
As far as Hudson goes, I wonder how much you can teach improved fastball command for someone who is already 24 and pitched all through HS and college.
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Yeah, I was a little surprised as well. But evidently a couple of his minor league stints since being called up have been rehab stints. So he has 1 option left.
On Gant - put PDL in the rotation if you're that committed to removing Gant. Then hopefully Reyes un****s himself and bumps PDL shortly thereafter. At that point your July rotation could look like Flaherty, Mikolas, Martinez, Reyes and Gomber.
You also have Helsley as a possibility there if you get him stretched out. Cabrera's probably pitched himself out of consideration but Woodford may well have moved himself towards the top of the heap. His big problem is gonna be that he's not on the 40 man so they'll exhaust all other options before outrighting someone off first.
Then again, they could outright that Gonzalez kid they picked up right before the season started with no real loss to be had. So if Woodford gets his walk rate dialed down a bit, he could prove himself among our better options as a 5th starter.
In either event, I think you're looking at a relatively short-term problem given that the Cards really want Reyes back in the rotation. That being the case, I just wouldn't dick around with Gant.
As for Hudson's fastball command - maybe it's less about commanding his 4-seamer and more about letting it do the work for him. Not an execution issue but an approach one. He has GOT to stop throwing it at the bottom of the zone because it's gonna run low and everyone knows that now. He needs to go full Julian Tavarez and start throwing it at the middle of the zone while letting it's natural run take over.
Because right now Hudson's the most painful start in baseball to watch, Wainwright and Wacha included. That goddamn guy has got to stop nibbling himself to death.