Foul flyball outs are almost as good as strikeouts; they are essentially a free “ball in play”. If a fielder makes a play an out is recorded with almost no chance of runners advancing. If the fielder fails to make a play, no play is recorded and the AB continues. A foul flyout is almost every bit as good for a pitcher as a strikeout, and a reasonable argument can be made that foul flyouts should be included with strikeouts.

I’ve long believed that a significant part of Moyer’s success as a pitcher is his ability to get foul flyball outs.

But it is sure nice to have a couple Livingston-Baek-Campillo-Madritsch-Feierabend type guys around when you need them.

Funny, seeing as we got rid of Baek and…whatever happened to Madritsch that we dropped him? I was a fan. He wasn’t the savior or anything, but I thought he’d make a decent number or four or maybe even a number 3. In ‘04, he started eleven games, appeared in 15, went 6-3, 88 innings (that’s almost 6 innings per appearance), threw one complete game in those 11 starts with a WHIP of 1.2 and a 3.27 ERA.

Were we just not willing to let him heal after the ‘05 season (when we waived him and he was picked up by Kansas City)? According to the Ducks website: “Madritsch owns a record of 40-24 and a 3.08 ERA for his minor league career, and has averaged better than a strikeout per inning over six seasons.”

Are people just too afraid that he’ll get injured to pick up a strong middle reliever with starter potential at 32? I’m confused…

I think Dickey is better suited to be a starter than a reliever because it isn’t fair to bring a knuckleballer in with the bases loaded or even runners in scoring postition. Knuckleballers throw enough passed balls as it is, but it has too be even worse for the catcher when the pitcher comes in in the middle of an inning. Long and middle reliever’s inherit a lot of runners whereas starters and usually closers create their own messes.

I disagree. Dickey has been incredibly effective as a long reliever because the opposition hasn’t mentally prepared for facing a knuckleballer. It’s important to look at the situation not just from the Mariners’ perspective, but from the perspective of the other team. If Dickey starts, the team meeting is all about how to deal with the knuckleball. If he comes in in the third inning, whatever their preparation was, it wasn’t for that.

But the main thing is, as a guy who can eat innings in any situation, he’s a damn valuable resource to have on your team. Plus, his name is “R.A.”, how cool is that?

It’s worth pointing out that all of Feier’s HRs allowed have been to righties, so the change ain’t perfect yet.

Is this from his previous stints with the M’s, or at AAA?

Anyone with access to stats think it plausible to move Wash and either Silva or Batista in the off season, use the salary to pick up good bats at LF/1B, and DH if Raul leaves, and contend in 2009 with Felix/contract year Bedard/Morrow/RRS/Feieradickey?

Or would that rotation just give up too many runs given Ichi/Reed/Beltre/Yuni/JL/Clement?

Would that be Bobby Madritsch, signed this week by the Long Island Ducks (whose roster also includes Carl Everett, Clint Nageotte and Jose Paniagua)?

Last sentence, last phrase needs an edit. Seems like the word “be” or “prove” should go in between the words “could” and “quite.”

His typesetter took that word out to make the line fit better.