Felix update
Dave · March 14, 2005 at 5:04 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Felix rebounded today, tossing 2 innings (though 2 of the 6 outs were caught stealing), giving up two hits, walking none, and striking out three.
Spring training performances still mean nothing, but good to see Felix bounce back.
Also, Aaron Sele had the game of his life-okay, well, maybe not quite, but it was his best game in years-going four innings, giving up two hits, no walks, and seven strikeouts. With Franklin pitching like, well, Ryan Franklin, Sele looks to have taken the lead in the competition for the M’s fifth starter.
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36 Responses to “Felix update”
I hope Olivo was doing the catching, and throwing out the runners.
Actually, it was Dan Wilson.
There’s a long list of guys I’d rather have starting games than Ryan Franklin, but Sele isn’t one of them.
The announcers were gushing over Dan Wilson’s arm, but I wonder how much of it was getting the ball at 96 MPH.
Has anyone noticed who’s having an Ichirrific spring?
I know, I know. Spring training stats are meaningless. But there’s also the second half of last year to consider. I honestly think he’s made a quantum leap to a whole new level of Ichironess. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets 280 hits this year in about 700 at bats, which would mean a .400 batting average.
thanks for the update. I’m schocked at the dearth of easy information on the spring training games … one would think that the sports networks would provide the same level of info into the spring games as the regular season, but for some reason you can only get box scores after the fact.
I hate to you admit that I think you’re right about Sele, barring a huge meltdown I think he will be the fifth starter, at least to start the season. The last time I was at a game Sele started was the 2001 ALCS game 5 in New York, I called him the gutless wonder after that game, hope I can retire that nickname.
The game of Sele’s life? Not really. The game of his life, at least his Mariner life, has to be the Sunday Night Baseball game he started just after the All-Star break in 2001 against Arizona. A one-hit shutout, where the only hit allowed, if I recall correctly, was in the first. After that, I think he gave up nothing, but an error gave the D’Backs another baserunner.
I still have my scorebook from that season, with that game being one of the highlights (only one, mind you. That book will stay on my shelf for as long as I’m an M’s fan. My ‘notes’ section from the final day of the regular season sums it up, with all the records listed. League-leading ERA, league-leading offense, league-leading defense. Wow). It’s as close as I’ve come to scoring a no-hitter. Man, there’s nothing prettier than a scorecard where your team’s pitcher goes 1-2-3 for 7 or 8 innings in a row.
Age/Total VORP 02-04:
Sele 35/22
Franklin 32/90
Get real!
I don’t know what you guys have against Franklin. He’s a hard luck guy, but he’s got a great attitude, acceptable stuff, and isn’t afraid to pitch to anyone. He’s mentally toubgh, and with some offense I think he could win 15 games. Now if we could have only put his brain in Freddy Garcia’s body we would have had a consistant 20+ game winner.
Two caught stealing: does this maybe indicate the King is hard to run on? Certainly wasn’t the arm behind the plate.
So, I ask of anyone who saw him today: What’s your sense of Sele? Did he get lucky? Or is he somehow organically a better pitcher than he has previously shown post-surgery? Did he get back some velocity, or some bite on his curveball? What’s working for him?
We’ve covered Franklin many, many times here. He’s a bad major league starting pitcher. His ERA away from Safeco last year was 5.62. His success in the majors has been due to his defense and his ballpark, neither of which he has any control over.
All that said, he’s still better than Aaron Sele.
Has anyone heard anything about Riechart (sp?). I and others who read USSmariner were mildly high on his NRI signing, but I have not seen anything in recent ST game reports that would indicate that he has even pitched. It would be nice if Riechart could duplicate Franklin’s 2003 effectiveness and allow Franklin to be the reliever he was in 2001-2.
Reichert’s only gotten three innings of game work so far and given up five runs in the process. With Sele looking like a good bet to make the club, Reichert’s probably going to have to go to Tacoma and try to open some eyes.
Dave, thanks. I assume Reichart does not have the same clause that Sele does, allowing him to leave if he does not make club prior to the end of ST.
He might. That kind of information is really hard to come by.
But, Reichert spent all of last year toiling in Triple-A, so I doubt he has the same sense of entitlement that Sele does. My guess is that if the M’s came to him and said “hey, we signed you, we like you, stick around and see how things go”, he’ll take the assignment to Tacoma.
Reichert hasn’t looked nearly as bad as his numbers would suggest and Price doesn’t seem to think so, either.
Reichert is slated to go tomorrow.
This is interesting:
InsiderthePark.com says that the M’s ‘likely’ have signed Damian Moss. Here is the link if you are a subscriber:
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=318&p=9&c=2&cid=360107&nid=1812274&fhn=1
Here is the punchline:
“Earlier today, during the Mariners game against the Padres in Peoria, left-handed pitcher Damian Moss was sighted working out with the minor league pitchers on the practice fields. While no signing has yet been confirmed, it is speculated that Moss may have been brought into camp to compete for a job with the Mariners, either out of the bullpen or the starting rotation. The M’s have reportedly been scouting for pitching in the recent days and weeks.”
Interesting. A lefty who can’t throw strikes. Perhaps he could be a project for the coaching staff. The scouting reports say that he has good stuff, but has a lot of trouble throwing strikes and tries to nibble around the plate too much. Sounds a bit like Meche. But this could be an interesting signing. Perhaps the 2005 version of Jaret Wright?
What about Campillo?
For anybody who’s interested, here’s the link to the boxscore of Aaron Sele’s two-hit CG shutout of the Snakes on 7/15/01. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07150SEA2001.htm
I ve seen campillo and if he is the mexican maddux im jack in the box!!!!!!!!!That statment could be the biggest lie the front office has ever told…..I saw him pitch in a B game and the scouts i asked said he topped out at 86 mph..I actually heard 2 scouts talking and one of them said whoever recommended the mariners spend 400 k to sign this guy might be unemployed next year and the other one said i bet you the clueless one had to be dan evans….Scouts are a interesting group to listen too they really are a cut throat group and somewhat snide but these 2 ripped evans for about 5 minutes back and forth and then laughed and said Bavasai really made bad judgement letting evans scout …The one scout said maybe seattle is becoming moneyball because evans wouldnt know HANK AARON if he was talking too him and the other said yeah your right….Wow does anyone have any background on evans ???????Has he ever scouted ?These 2 said he was a paper sshuffler whatever that is!!!!!!Long live the MARINERS
Isn’t this Dan Evans the Dodgers former GM? And, from what I know, he is not a sabermatrician type. He may be clueless, maybe not. I really didn’t follow the Dodgers or the NL West when he was GM, but I do not think any cluelessness on his part is due to an affiliation with a Billy Beane model of talent assessment. Maybe the reverse.
Paper pusher would be someone who just works in the office not really doing anything important.
As for the sabermatrics part they were probably making fun of him for signing based on the numbers instead of how he looked.
How’d he do in that B game? Get rocked or what?
Why does everyone have it in for Dan Wilson as a DEFENSIVE catcher. I agree wholeheartedly that he is a sinkhole at the plate, but behind it, he seems pretty good. Last season he threw out 33% of the runners, which is league average, so why the shock that he threw some guys out today?
Felix bounced back nicely, and what impressed me most was the weather-report rundown from the AP. The wind was blowing in from CF so hard that the palm trees were leaning over and despite the back-blow Felix’s curve was still breaking hard enough to get him two of his three Ks. Impressive. I don’t imagine he had to try very hard to reach 97-98 with his fastball either.
#24 ok he got them out but alot of bullets hit off him right at the fielders…..His body looked better then most mexican pitchers bodys but if he doesnt put his fastball where he wants it will get ripped….i would rather have sele then THE MEXICAN MADDUX ….LOL i still am laughing have read that and then saw that guy wow the F.O must think FANS are frikin IDIOTS!!!!!!!
I can’t imagine why the front office would think that, jc…
FWIW — a longtime M’s fan I know in AZ has seen both Sele and Campillo pitch this spring (although not Sele in yesterday’s game). He was very impressed by Sele’s first outing, although the writers didn’t pick up on it. Seems like Sele pitched even better yesterday.
As for Campillo, he liked what he saw — especially noting the movement on his curveball — but sees him landing in Tacoma for 2005.
All of this leaves me also thinking Sele is in the lead for #5 starter moving Franklin to the pen, which makes competition there even tougher. BTW, I don’t think we’ll stick with 12 pitchers for long.
In the list of games that I’ll remember Sele pitching in, game 3 of the 2000 ALDS is tops in the list. I found the scorecard I have of that game recently, so that one is a keeper. Just to refresh people: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10060SEA2000.htm
Stupid me not noticing the spammer question… anyway try this again…
I really don’t want Sele being in the rotation. If there is one guy in camp that I don’t want beating out Franklin for the 5th spot its Sele.
I certainly don’t understand the Sele bashing. If he competes and wins a job, what’s the problem? Aside from falling short in the playoffs against the Yankees, he is someone who has been a significantly better pitcher in the past then Franklin. Obviously he has had significant injury issues the last couple years and is no longer worth $5 million/year as a starting pitcher, but given a low risk deal financially for the Mariners, I wouldn’t mind at all seeing him make the roster as a basically 5th starter. My personal preference would be Felix if he can show he has the stuff, but I’m not particularly impressed by what I’ve heard about Campillo or Reichert so far this spring.
Aaron Sele has been basically awful since 2002. In the past 3 years, he’s rung up 410 innings and posted an ERA 17 percent below league average. The last two seasons, he’s walked 109 and struck out 104 batters.
Saying he’s not worth $5 million a year is like saying I’m not in the running for the nobel prize. Its true, but its also a vast overstatement. Sele isn’t even worth a major league roster spot, especially when the organization has more talented options.
I saw Sele pitch two games vs the White Sox last year. In the first one he was great, his curveball had the big break to it, I believe he K’d 5 or 6 guys over 6 innings and only gave up one earned run.
The second game was in July and he was more of the Aaron Sele we’re used to seeing…poor control, couldn’t locate his fastball. He gave up about 10 hits and 5 earned runs in 5 innings before being pulled.
If nothing else I don’t want Sele as the 5th starter because he has little to no stamina remaining. In both games I saw him pitch he was totally, and I mean TOTALLY gassed after the 4th inning. It’s not as if your average garden variety 5th starter is going to be a world beater, but they’ve got to have the strength to go 6 innings. Sele doesn’t have that any more.
I’m not against Sele winning the 5th spot in the rotation.
He hasn’t been healthy the past two years = bad production.
I’m not willing to say he suddenly will be healthy, but it wouldn’t suprise me if he had one more season in the arm with a 4.00 era.
Franklin is the ideal long man, although Reichert might be able to fill that role.
I’m pretty indifferent if Sele wins the job.
Sele’s thrown 410 innings the past three years. Four Hundred Ten.
I’m sorry, I’m not buying the “he was hurt” line.