We shall see. There has to be more to it as to why he’s not at least replacing Joe Smith for now. I still don’t think he’s as good of a pitcher as his current bullpen numbers suggest. He’s a serviceable starter, for sure.
He's already a reliever. The best they can do is let him be a better one. The worst they can do is let him sit there like he is. I don't see the downside in trying something different. Nothing's permanent, hell it's only May.
I just think the front office and managerial staff are a little more forward thinking and calculating than this. Hell, Giles has lost his job on 3 separate instances this year alone, and yet now he’s the odds-on favorite to be tabbed to close games on any given night. I agree that Hinch needs to find out who’s going to be in what roles soon and stick with it. Experiment/mix things up in the playoffs... where its a damn crapshoot anyways.
You have still not told my why letting McHugh pitch a few more important innings is a bad or whatever thing.
No, I suspect his stuff plays up better out of the pen. He has always had good movement and his velocity has gone up several miles per hour this season. He has been a good strikeout pitcher but thus far this year he has gone from a 1 strikeout an inning to 1.5 an inning. Further he can go more than inning. I think you are underestimating his ceiling. For years Dan Schatzeder over beers would tell me McHugh would be a damn good reliever. At this point I think he may be right. Hell he can always go back to the rotation if there is an injury.
It’s not bad... unless he fails and then he goes back to what? I just think they need to get the arms they currently have in the bullpen confidence, semi-regular work, and roles they can thrive in. Seems like that’s what they’re focusing on (especially with guys like Smith and Rondon). I get the infatuation with McHugh... but I still think he gets hit harder with more regular work/appearances, which further clouds things. Lastly, has anybody asked Colin what he wants to do? Very well could be that he’d rather go through his usual preparation and be ready to start just in case.
Guess I’ll have to just see more to be convinced. Yes, he’s getting guys out in situations where its not hyper-critical... but I’m still not seeing the same stuff or consistency he had in 2014. Has somebody looked at his spin rate on the curveball between now and then?
Right the **** back where he/we are today. Him in worthless long relief. I'm still not seeing a downside. I really do not know what you mean by "...roles they can thrive in. Seems like that’s what they’re focusing on...". They've been throwing guys up against the wall left and right like spaghetti for the past 2 weeks.
Ideally, Hinch/FO wants Smith to lead to Harris to lead to Peacock to lead to Devenski to lead to Giles. Smith is also the ROOGY when they have to get an out... but he’s been horrible in that role. I’m sure they’ll eventually adjust the plan to try and get McHugh something more, especially if the other bullpen arms continue to falter. The starters being so good, and going deep in games, has actually be a detriment to the bullpen getting a rhythm.
Yeah, "Ideally" Giles is the closer and we're not having this conversation. We've seen Devo, Peacock, Harris, Smith, Rondon, Giles and whoever else in the 8/9th just in the past couple of weeks, iirc. Everybody but the kitchen sink. Or McHugh. But it's cool, whether you and I agree or not we'll see what they do.
Am I the only one that would rather see if McHugh could become a closer than see Giles screw the pooch. I mean they did win a WS with Morton/McCullers closing games, and I will bet that McHugh would become better after a few games than Giles is. McHugh is mentally tougher than Giles and I think this could really work. What's McHugh's sabermetrics.?(You stats junkies) I will bet it's better than Giles.
I don't think McHugh is used to being a bullpen guy yet. He's been only a starter since 2013 except for the playoffs last year and this season. He is a routine guy and I think Hinch is trying to move him along slowly. I expect McHugh to move into a more important role over the season unless he's a starter again because of injury. As of now his job is long man, but when your starters are mowing guys down and going deep into games it's hard to find him consistent work.
Not saying he’s been bad by any means but could we be better off for this season at least with LMJ as our closer and McHugh as our 5th starter? I realize McCullers has never closed so seems a bit crazy to even suggest this but I really feel he has the mindset to do it - and we know he has the stuff which would play up even more in the BP.
Indeed. I guess I’m in the minority as to being overly optimistic that McHugh has a whole nother dimension to him. Seeing some of the latest posts, you’d figure he can also cure cancer. Again, see this all the time with fans clamoring for the backup QB... and when he finally gets his shot, and ends up being more similar to the guy he always was, the optimism certainly then fizzles.
I certainly don’t think he can cure cancer. I do think he has earned the opportunity to pitch in more meaningful situations though. If he fails then he can go back to what he is doing now.
The ability to get guys out is certainly the bottom line for any pitcher. But for the closer role, ones toolkit usually has to include a knockout pitch. Devo and his COD for example. Giles was thought to have this virtue with his 100mph fastball. Is this type of thing really a prerequisite to be a closer? Are there closers that excel without it?
I think McHugh has always had a pretty good K rate. His cutter and curve should play well in high leverage situations.
